Sarah Pearce

NASA's first spacecraft to "touch the Sun" has reached a new milestone. On June 22, the Parker Solar Probe came just within 5.3 million miles of the scorching solar surface while traveling at 364,610 miles per hour, according to NASA. The car-sized spacecraft was able to safely emerge from the close flyby—referred to as perihelion by astronomers—and was operating following its 16th orbit of the star. "Parker has already taught us so much, allowing us to investigate the source of the solar wind and discover more about the magnetic activity within the corona," said Nour Raouafi, Parker Solar Probe project scientist at the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, in a statement. "We're excited to see what else this mission has to show us as Parker gets even closer to an increasingly more active Sun." Read the full story here:

A new report published by Atlanta-based carrier company moveBuddha has some interesting news for denizens of the Bayou City, specifically that we're on track to become nearly the largest American city by population by the end of this century. The analysis published by moveBuddha this week projects Houston to be the second-most populous U.S. city by the year 2100, amassing an estimated population of more than 31 million residents if the city's current growth rate holds fast over the next 77 years. It also estimates that the city will be "growing to the size of Tokyo." The greater Tokyo metro is estimated to boast a population of 37.2 million, according to a World Population Review projection. Now, if you're currently living in Houston, you may be thinking "Well, Houston will probably be underwater or cooked into an uninhabitable concrete patty by the year 2030, so how could we grow that much?" This appears to have also played into the minds of those writing moveBuddha's projections. "Yes, Houston will be very hot in 2100," the report reads. "But the bigger threat may be more destructive hurricanes off the Gulf of Mexico...Planning for a future of these climate-induced threats will be critical for Houston." Check out where other Texas cities are on the list:

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has been rubbing shoulders with actor and avid QAnon promoter Jim Caviezel, best-known for playing Jesus in Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ. Cruz posted an Instagram photo of himself on June 23 smiling and posing with his arm around Caviezel. "While he may be best known for his work on TV and film, actor Jim Caviezel is taking a stance against human trafficking in his latest film," Cruz captioned the post. "Human trafficking, both at home and abroad, must be met with the full force of our criminal justice system. It's also important that we use the media to shine a light on this evil." Read the full story here: