On December 24, the Parker Solar Probe will pass within 3.8 million miles of the sun. That’s the closest any human-made object has gotten to our solar system’s star! This might still seem very far away, but it’s extremely close for a spacecraft. The probe was built to withstand scorching temperatures of about 2,550 degrees Fahrenheit.

It took six years for the probe to travel this close to the sun. As it speeds past at 430,000 miles per hour, it will collect data about the sun’s fiery surface. From this data, scientists at NASA hope not only to learn new things about the sun but also to plan future trips to study our closest star.