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{{Short description|American solar physicist (1927–2022)}}
{{For|the sports agent|Eugene Parker (sports agent)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox scientist
| image = File:Eugene Parker 2019.jpg
| image_upright = 
| caption = Parker in 2019
| birth_name = Eugene Newman Parker
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1927|6|10}}
| birth_place = [[Houghton, Michigan]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|3|15|1927|6|10}}
| death_place =[[Chicago, Illinois]], U.S.
| field = [[Solar physics]], [[heliophysics]], [[plasma physics]]
| work_institution = [[University of Chicago]]
| alma_mater = [[Michigan State University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br />[[Caltech]] ([[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
| doctoral_advisor = [[Howard P. Robertson]], [[Leverett Davis]]<ref name=bio/>
| thesis_title = The interstellar dust and gas structures
| thesis_url = http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/437065571
| thesis_year = 1951
| doctoral_students = [[Arnab Rai Choudhuri]]
| known_for = [[Solar wind]]<br />[[Sweet–Parker model]]<br />[[Parker spiral]]<br>[[Parker theorem]]<br>[[Parker equation]]<br>[[Parker instability]]
| prizes = See [[#Awards and honors]]
}}

'''Eugene Newman "Gene" Parker''' (June 10, 1927 – March 15, 2022) was an American [[solar physics|solar]] and [[plasma physicist]], often called the "father" and "founder" of [[heliophysics]]. In 1958 he proposed the existence of the [[solar wind]] and predicted that the magnetic field in the [[outer Solar System]] would be in the shape of a [[Parker spiral]]—predictions initially rejected by reviewers and scientific community, but quickly confirmed by the [[Mariner 2]] spacecraft in 1962. Multiple phenomena in solar and plasma physics bear his name, including the [[Parker instability]], [[Parker equation]], [[Sweet–Parker model]] of magnetic reconnection, [[Parker limit]] on magnetic monopoles, and [[Parker theorem]]. In 1988, he proposed that [[nanoflare]]s could explain the [[coronal heating problem]], a theory that remains a leading candidate.

Parker obtained his PhD from [[Caltech]] in 1951 and spent four years at the [[University of Utah]] before joining the [[University of Chicago]] in 1955, where he spent the rest of his career at the [[Enrico Fermi Institute]]. He wrote more than 400 papers, mostly without co-authors, and received multiple awards including the [[National Medal of Science]] (1989), [[Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society]] (1992), [[Kyoto Prize]] (2003), and [[Crafoord Prize]] (2020). In 2017, NASA renamed its Solar Probe Plus mission to [[Parker Solar Probe]] in his honor, the first NASA spacecraft named after a living person.

== Biography ==
Eugene Newman Parker was born in [[Houghton, Michigan]] to Glenn and Helen ({{nee}} MacNair) Parker on June 10, 1927.<ref name="NYTobit" /> Parker's grandfather was a president of the [[Michigan College of Mines]] in Houghton<ref name=manyworlds/> and a physicist. Parker's uncle was also a physicist, who worked at [[Bell Laboratories]].<ref name=kyoto>{{cite book|title=Inamori Foundation: Kyoto Prlze & Inamori Grants |chapter=Curiosity as a Career |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |isbn=978-4-900663-19-0 |year=2004 |publisher=Inamori Foundation |url=https://www.kyotoprize.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2003_B.pdf }}</ref>

Eugene had two younger siblings, a brother and a sister. His father, Glenn, a mining surveyor<ref name=tribute/> and then an engineer, worked at [[Consolidated Aircraft]] company.<ref name=kyoto/> When Eugene was seven, the family moved to [[Detroit]], for his father's graduate studies in engineering, and later his work for [[Chrysler]].<ref name=manyworlds/> His mother, Helen, got a mathematics degree at [[Stanford University|Stanford]], but didn't pursue a career. By the time Eugene went to university, his parents moved from Detroit to a farm in Arkansas.<ref name=tribute/>

Parker became interested in science and engineering from childhood: he was interested in steam trains, and found the mechanical principles of it to be "fascinating".<ref name=bio/> At six, he got his deceased grandfather's 50-power microscope.<ref name=kyoto/> He became interested in math when it went beyond arithmetics in school, and then in physics.<ref name=bio>{{cite journal |last1=Parker |first1=Eugene N. |doi=10.1088/1674-4527/14/1/001 |title=Reminiscing my sixty year pursuit of the physics of the Sun and the Galaxy |journal=Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics |date=2014 |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=1–14 |bibcode=2014RAA....14....1P }}</ref>

During the World War II, Parker, then 16, bought a "[[Tax lien|tax-delinquent]] property": 40-acre area in the woods of [[Cheboygan County]], around 300 miles from Detroit, for $120 he earned earlier in summer. Together with his brother and cousin, Parker spent three summers building a log cabin there, going by bicycle as there were no other ways to commute. The log cabin with no electricity and running water was in use by Parker's family for almost 80 years.<ref name=rosner/><ref name=manyworlds/><ref name=tribute/>

Parker received his [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[physics]] from [[Michigan State University]] in 1948 and a [[Doctor of Philosophy]] (PhD) degree from Caltech in 1951.<ref name=death/> He had a tuition scholarship at Michigan, but not at Caltech. To earn money for the first semester, he worked as a technician at the Physics Laboratory at Chrysler Engineering<ref name=kyoto/> for six months in 1948. Parker later wrote that [[William Smythe (physicist)|William Smythe]]'s year-long course in [[electricity and magnetism]] was the most demanding course in his first year at Caltech, but noted that after several weeks the problems became easier and he "aced" the exam. Parker later got a teaching assistantship with the help of [[William A. Fowler]]. Parker worked with [[Howard P. Robertson]], who suggested him to study dynamics of the interstellar medium. When Robertson left Caltech, Parker continued to work with [[Leverett Davis]], who became his PhD advisor.<ref name=bio/><ref name=kyoto/>

Parker's PhD thesis was of two parts: a dynamical analysis of interstellar gas clouds and a study of dust structures in the Pleiades. In the first, gas clouds were idealized as self-gravitating Hamiltonian systems, leading to the result that they either disperse to infinity or collapse into compact objects such as stars, a result accepted for publication without controversy; Parker later called the idea "a dubious assumption". The second part proposed that "the long thin curved dust striations observed in the Pleiades" require an interstellar magnetic field of at least a microgauss to prevent dust grains, driven by interstellar winds, from smearing out into diffuse clouds. Because the grains are photoelectrically charged, they can remain tied to magnetic field lines, preserving the observed narrow [[striation]]s.<ref name=kyoto/>

After Caltech, Parker got a job as an instructor at the Department of Mathematics at the [[University of Utah]]. After two years there, he found out that he wouldn't be offered a permanent position and that he would be fired soon. After a talk with [[Walter Elsasser]] he was proposed "a position as a one-third time assistant professor in the Physics Department and a two-thirds time research associate with him". He worked with Elsasser for two years.<ref name=bio/> In 1955, [[John Alexander Simpson|John Simpson]] invited Parker to the [[University of Chicago]] as a theoretician to study [[cosmic ray]]s; Parker spent the rest of his career there, at the [[Enrico Fermi Institute]]. He became full professor in 1962, and served as a head of the physics department in 1970-1972, and of the department of astronomy and astrophysics in 1972–1978. Parker retired in 1995, but continued to work and publish papers.<ref name=rosner/> Parker had 14 PhD students.<ref name=bio/>

== Solar physics research ==
{{Quote box
| quote = I always looked upon myself as a physicist learning new tricks by looking at nature. Space, the whole galaxy, the whole Universe — I know no better place to find new physics.
| source = Eugene Parker<ref name=fox/>
| width = 30%
| align = right
}}
Parker is often called the "father", "unquestioned founder", and a "legendary figure" in [[heliophysics]].<ref name=fox/><ref name=baas/><ref name=manyworlds/> Astrophysicist [[Angela Olinto]] noted that "Gene's name is quite literally written in our star", referencing multiple phenomena discovered by Parker: "the [[Parker instability]], which describes magnetic fields in galaxies; the [[Parker equation]], which describes particles moving through plasmas; the [[Sweet-Parker model]] of magnetic fields in plasmas; and the [[Parker limit]] on the flux of magnetic monopoles."<ref name=death/>

Parker wrote more than 400 papers and four books.<ref name=baas/> Most of his papers are single authored; Parker never wrote papers with his students, "urging them to be independent".<ref name=rosner/> Parker never co-authored a paper if he didn't reproduce all calculations, and he never used computers for research.<ref name=tribute>{{Cite journal|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s41614-024-00143-w|title="Gene": a personal tribute to the life and science of Eugene Newman Parker|first=Arnab Rai|last=Choudhuri|date=March 9, 2024|journal=Reviews of Modern Plasma Physics|volume=8|issue=1|article-number=6|via=Springer Link|doi=10.1007/s41614-024-00143-w |arxiv=2403.01850 |bibcode=2024RvMPP...8....6C }}</ref> Parker's research relied on [[classical physics]] like [[Maxwell's equations]] and [[magnetohydrodynamics]], he didn't use methods from [[quantum mechanics]] or [[theory of relativity]].<ref name="NYTobit" /><ref name=manyworlds/><ref name=tribute/>

Astrophysicist [[Arnab Rai Choudhuri]], Parker's PhD student, wrote that "it is impossible for one person to fully understand the significance of all of Parker’s works at a technical level, unless that person also happens to be almost as brilliant as Parker himself!"<ref name=tribute/>

Choudhuri described Parker as a very independent researcher:<ref name=tribute/>
{{quote|text=Parker’s papers are always marvels of scientific composition and bear the stamp of a scientific autocrat who enjoyed doing science in his own terms. He would always pay particular attention to the logical structure of the paper. Since Parker often dealt with complex ideas years before others paid attention to them, it may not always be easy to read his papers. But a reader with the prerequisite technical knowledge can always follow the clear thread of scientific logic. Nothing would be fuzzy or obscure.}}

=== 1955: Turbulent dynamo theory === 
Confronting [[Thomas Cowling|Cowling]]'s [[antidynamo theorem]], Parker showed that in a rotating, convecting conductor, turbulence becomes helical, enabling large-scale field growth when averaged ("mean-field" theory). He wrote down a tractable dynamo equation and identified wave-like solutions (dynamo waves) that offered a physical picture for the sunspot belt’s equatorward drift across a cycle. Parker's paper established the feasibility of MHD dynamos, showed turbulence can build global order, and sketched a solar-cycle model.<ref name=tribute/>{{efn|See {{harvnb|Parker|1955a}} and {{harvnb|Parker|1993}}. }}

=== 1955: Magnetic buoyancy and bipolar sunspots === 
{{Main|Magnetic buoyancy}}
[[File:Solar Magnetic Field Lines.jpg|thumb|Solar magnetic field lines]]
Parker explained how strong toroidal flux generated in the solar interior becomes lighter than its surroundings due to magnetic pressure, making segments buoyant and able to rise to the surface as Ω-shaped loops that produce bipolar sunspot pairs. He later showed buoyancy is enhanced in the convection zone but suppressed just below, naturally “anchoring” loop footpoints—consistent with the observed morphology. This framework led to thin-flux-tube and full-MHD simulations and clarified links to [[Joy's law (astronomy)|Joy’s law]] tilts and toroidal field strengths at depth.<ref name=tribute/>{{efn|See {{harvnb|Parker|1955b}}, {{harvnb|Parker|1975}}, and {{harvnb|Parker|1979a}}.}}

=== 1957: Magnetic reconnection (Sweet–Parker model) === 
{{Main|Magnetic reconnection}}
Building on [[Peter Alan Sweet|Sweet]]'s neutral-sheet model, Parker derived the canonical inflow rate for resistive reconnection in a long, thin current sheet—now called Sweet–Parker scaling. Historical publication delays meant Parker’s paper appeared first but credited Sweet’s mechanism. While crucial, the Sweet–Parker rate is too slow for flare rise times, motivating later fast-reconnection scenarios and modern numerical/kinetic work. The classical rate remains a baseline against which faster mechanisms are compared.<ref name=tribute/>{{efn|See {{harvnb|Parker|1957}}.}}

=== 1958: Solar wind and the Parker spiral === 
{{Main|Solar wind}}
[[File:Solar wind flow.gif|thumb|upright=1.5|Artist's impression of solar wind flow around Earth's magnetosphere]]
[[File:Parker Solar Probe's View of Solar Wind in Nov. 2018.webm|thumb|Solar wind observed by the [[Parker Solar Probe]], 2018]]

In the 19th and early 20th century the prevailing view was that the Sun is a static object, connected to planets and minor bodies only via gravity.<ref name=obridko>{{Cite journal |last1=Obridko |first1=V. N. |last2=Vaisberg |first2=O. L. |title=On the history of the solar wind discovery |journal=Solar System Research |date=2017 |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=165–169 |doi=10.1134/S0038094617020058 |bibcode=2017SoSyR..51..165O |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0038094617020058|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The first evidence of a constant particle flow was found in [[comet]]s; its [[comet tail|tails]] always point away from the Sun. In 1950s, the German astrophysicist [[Ludwig Franz Biermann]] studied how comet tails interact with the Sun. Biermann stated that "solar corpuscular radiation" was needed to explain the observed behavior. In 1956, he came to the University of Chicago, where he discussed his results with Parker. Parker also discussed the [[solar corona]] with mathematician [[Sydney Chapman (mathematician)|Sydney Chapman]], who mentioned that "the corona is so hot that it should extend clear to the orbit of the Earth". Parker then conjectured that "the corona and solar corpuscular radiation must be the same thing". When he wrote hydrodynamic equations for this extended atmosphere, his solution showed him the existence of [[solar wind]].<ref name=interview>{{Cite journal |last1=Jacobsen |first1=Sally |title=Eugene Parker on the Solar Wind, Magnetic Fields and Earth Weather |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |date=1973 |volume=29 |issue=5 |pages=25–30 |doi=10.1080/00963402.1973.11455482 |bibcode=1973BuAtS..29e..25J }}</ref> Parker himself said that the math needed for the solar wind discovery was just "four lines of algebra".<ref name=fox>{{cite journal |last= Fox|first= Nicola |author1-link=Nicola Fox |date= 2022|title=Eugene Parker (1927–2022) |journal= Nature Astronomy|volume= 6|issue= 625|page= 625 |doi=10.1038/s41550-022-01686-z |bibcode= 2022NatAs...6..625F }}</ref>

{{Quote|text=I called it the solar wind because I felt that solar corpuscular radiation gives the wrong idea. With that term, one thinks of individual particles 
being shot out, which was the original picture we had. But it really is an ordinary flow of gas.<ref name=interview/>}} 

The plasma flow velocity equation; one of the solutions led Parker to the solar wind:<ref name="Gombosi">{{cite journal |last1=Gombosi |first1=Tamas I. |last2=van der Holst |first2=Bart |last3=Manchester |first3=Ward B. |last4=Sokolov |first4=Igor V. |title=Extended MHD modeling of the steady solar corona and the solar wind |journal=Living Reviews in Solar Physics |date=December 2018 |volume=15 |issue=1 |article-number=4 |doi=10.1007/s41116-018-0014-4 |pmid=30872981 |pmc=6390891 |arxiv=1807.00417 |bibcode=2018LRSP...15....4G }}</ref>
<math>\left[\frac{v^2}{v_m^2} - \ln\left(\frac{v^2}{v_m^2}\right)\right] = 4\ln\left(\frac{r}{a}\right) + \left(\frac{v_{\text{esc}}^2}{v_m^2}\right)\left(\frac{a}{r}\right) - 4\ln\left(\frac{v_{\text{esc}}^2}{v_m^2}\right) - 3 + \ln 256</math>

Parker theory of supersonic solar wind predicted the shape of the solar magnetic field in the [[outer Solar System]]. Parker argued that a million-degree corona cannot remain static: pressure forces must drive a radially expanding flow that accelerates from subsonic near the Sun to supersonic beyond a critical point. He further noted that solar rotation winds outward-advected magnetic field lines into a spiral pattern in the ecliptic, now called the [[Parker spiral]].<ref name=tribute/>

His theoretical modeling was not immediately accepted by the astronomical community: when he submitted the results to ''[[The Astrophysical Journal]]'' in 1958,{{efn|See {{harvnb|Parker|1958a}}}} two reviewers recommended its rejection. One reviewer commented on the paper: "Well I would suggest that Parker go to the library and read up on the subject before he tries to write a paper about it, because this is utter nonsense."<ref name=rosner/> The editor of the journal, [[Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar]], finding no obvious errors in the paper, overruled the reviewers and published the paper, even though he disagreed with Parker's theory.<ref name="NYTobit" /><ref name=rosner>{{Cite journal|url=https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article/75/8/59/2842478/Eugene-Newman-Parker|title=Eugene Newman Parker|first1=Robert|last1=Rosner|first2=Michael S.|last2=Turner|date=August 1, 2022|journal=Physics Today|volume=75|issue=8|pages=59|doi=10.1063/PT.3.5068}}</ref> At the time, no spacecraft took measurements of space medium, and Parker himself was an unknown 31-year-old professor from Chicago.<ref name=nyt2018/> One of the most vocal critics of solar wind was [[Joseph W. Chamberlain]], also from the University of Chicago, who published a paper in 1960 with an alternative solution of the equation that led Parker to solar wind.<ref name="Gombosi"/> Chamberlain's subsonic solution was called "solar breeze".<ref name="oxford">{{cite journal |last1=Cranmer |first1=Steven R. |title=Solar-Wind Origin |journal=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Physics |date=29 July 2019 |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190871994.013.18 |arxiv=2507.13460 |isbn=978-0-19-087199-4 }}</ref>

Parker wrote to his parents about the solar wind theory rejection:<ref name=manyworlds>{{Cite web|url=https://manyworlds.space/2022/04/12/nature-has-become-more-beautiful-physicist-eugene-parker-and-his-life-unlocking-secrets-of-the-sun/|title="Nature Has Become More Beautiful." Physicist Eugene Parker and his Life Unlocking Secrets Of The Sun |first=Marc |last=Kaufman|date=April 12, 2022}}</ref>
{{Quote|text=It is amazing that everyone who has had his formal training in astronomy refuses to accept the idea of a solar wind. They will argue like mad that any child knows that the Sun is a static object. Even when you whip them with a bit of both theory and observations, they won’t go along with it. They discount the observations and won't study the theory.}}

Parker's theoretical predictions were confirmed by satellite observations: in 1959, the flow of particles from the Sun was detected by the Soviet's [[Luna 2]]. In 1962, four years after the original publication, [[Mariner 2]] mission carried out observations with a specifically designed instrument.<ref name=nyt2018>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/science/eugene-parker-solar-wind-nasa-probe.html|title= NASA's Parker Solar Probe Is Named for Him. 60 Years Ago, No One Believed His Ideas About the Sun |first=Kenneth|last= Chang|work=The New York Times|date=August 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mariner 2 Data Disclose a Constant 'Solar Wind' |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 11, 1962 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/10/11/archives/mariner-2-data-disclose-a-constant-solar-wind-180millionmile-trip.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/mariner-scientific-experiments-2/ |title=Mariner Scientific Experiments |publisher=NASA |year=1962}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Neugebauer|first1=M.|author1-link=Marcia Neugebauer|last2=Snyder|first2=C. W.|name-list-style=amp |title=Solar Plasma Experiment |journal=Science |volume=138 |pages=1095–1097 |date=1962 | doi = 10.1126/science.138.3545.1095-a |pmid=17772963 |issue=3545|bibcode = 1962Sci...138.1095N |s2cid=24287222}}</ref> It is called to be "a unique example in astrophysics, due to its immediate and brief confirmation by observations".<ref name=baas>{{Cite journal|url=https://baas.aas.org/pub/2022i039/release/1|title=Eugene N. Parker (1927–2022)|first=Kanaris|last=Tsinganos|date=January 1, 2022|journal=Bulletin of the AAS|volume=54|issue=1|via=baas.aas.org|doi=10.3847/25c2cfeb.19b7a688 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Mariner 2 data revealed two types of solar wind, a low- and a high-speed components.<ref name="oxford"/> The paper became Parker's most famous publication.<ref name=rosner/>{{efn|See also {{harvnb|Parker|1958b}}, {{harvnb|Parker|1959}}, {{harvnb|Parker|1963a}}, {{harvnb|Parker|1964}} and {{harvnb|Parker|1965a}}.}}

=== 1960s: Cosmic-ray transport in the heliosphere and magnetic flux tubes === 
After establishing the solar wind, Parker modeled cosmic-ray propagation as diffusion through wind-borne magnetic irregularities combined with advection by the outflow. He wrote a Fokker–Planck transport equation and estimated anisotropic diffusion coefficients (easier along the mean field than across it).<ref name=tribute/>

With Jokipii, he quantified how scattering produces cross-field spread along Parker-spiral lines, consistent with observations, cementing the modern transport framework used in heliophysics and space weather.<ref name=tribute/>{{efn|See {{harvnb|Parker|1965b}}, {{harvnb|Jokipii|Parker|1969b}}.}}

=== 1966: Galactic magnetism: Parker instability and galactic dynamo === 
Parker treated the interstellar gas, magnetic field, and cosmic rays as a coupled system in a galactic disk. He showed that horizontal fields are buoyantly unstable: gas drains downward, magnetized “arches” rise, and dense clumps collect in valleys—an undular mode now called the [[Parker instability]]. Nonlinear evolution produces structures reminiscent of observed gas clumping along spiral arms. He also formulated a local αΩ dynamo for spiral galaxies, with helical turbulence and differential rotation amplifying toroidal fields on timescales shorter than galactic ages, aligning with observed large-scale patterns.<ref name=tribute/>{{efn|See {{harvnb|Parker|1966}}, {{harvnb|Parker|1967a}}, {{harvnb|Parker|1967b}}, {{harvnb|Lerche|Parker|1968}}, {{harvnb|Parker|1969a}}, {{harvnb|Parker|1970}} and {{harvnb|Parker|1971}}.}}

=== 1970: Parker limit on magnetic monopoles === 
Reasoning that abundant [[magnetic monopole|monopoles]] would short out galactic magnetic fields, Parker related monopole density and drift to magnetic-field decay and demanded consistency with field persistence/growth, obtaining a stringent upper bound—the '''Parker limit'''. The estimate, first offered in a Russell lecture as a " back-of-the-envelope calculation", later guided experimental monopole searches across particle physics and cosmology.<ref name=tribute/>{{efn|See {{harvnb|Parker|1970}}.}}

=== 1972: Parker theorem ===
{{Main|Parker theorem}}
Parker theorem', also known as the fundamental magnetostatic theorem, was formulated in 1972. It describes how magnetic fields behave in perfectly conducting fluids, particularly in space plasmas. The theorem states that three-dimensional magnetic fields naturally form infinitesimally thin current sheets – regions where the magnetic field direction changes abruptly. These sheets arise from the fundamental interaction between magnetic fields that are "frozen" into the conducting fluid.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Low |first1=B. C. |title=Topological nature of the Parker magnetostatic theorem |journal=Physics of Plasmas |date=1 January 2023 |volume=30 |issue=1 |article-number=012903 |doi=10.1063/5.0124164 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2023PhPl...30a2903L }} {{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4|from this source=yes}}</ref>{{efn|See {{harvnb|Parker|1972}}.}}

=== 1972-1988: Coronal heating and nanoflares ===
[[File:Nanoflare 2020.png|thumb|A close-up of one of the loop brightenings. The frame on the far right is the most zoomed in, showing the putative nanoflare.]]
Parker argued that random footpoint motions in the [[photosphere]] inevitably tangle coronal fields, making smooth equilibria topologically unattainable. The [[solar corona|corona]] relaxes via ubiquitous current sheets where reconnection dissipates energy, supplying heat. Initial skepticism gave way to broader interest as stellar coronal X-rays were established; Parker then estimated the energy budget and introduced the nanoflare concept—many small events rather than single large releases. The field converged on a mixed picture: closed-loop regions likely dominated by current-sheet heating; open-field regions more wave-driven.<ref name=tribute/>

Seeking to address the [[coronal heating problem]], in 1988 Parker proposed that the solar corona might be heated by myriad tiny "[[nanoflare]]s", miniature brightenings resembling [[solar flare]]s that would occur all over the surface of the Sun. Parker's theory became a leading candidate to explain the problem.<ref name=tribute/><ref>{{cite web |title=How a NASA Probe Solved a Scorching Solar Mystery |date=April 29, 2024 |url=https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-a-nasa-probe-solved-a-scorching-solar-mystery-20240429/ |publisher=Quanta Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=This May be the First Complete Observation of a Nanoflare |publisher=NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/this-may-be-the-first-complete-observation-of-a-nanoflare/}}</ref>{{efn|See {{harvnb|Parker|1972}}, {{harvnb|Parker|1983}}, {{harvnb|Parker|1988}}, {{harvnb|Parker|1989}}, and {{harvnb|Parker|1994}}.}}

== Parker Solar Probe ==
In 1960, a Space Science Board report recommended a solar spacecraft mission to study the origins of solar wind, and another mission to the outer Solar System "to study the interaction of the heliosphere with the interstellar medium". In 2010, NASA approved the Solar Probe Plus mission; Parker was invited as an advisor.<ref name=science>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abq3164|title=Eugene N. Parker (1927–2022)|first=Stuart D.|last=Bale|date=April 29, 2022|journal=Science|volume=376|issue=6592|pages=461|via=science.org (Atypon)|doi=10.1126/science.abq3164 |pmid=35482854 |bibcode=2022Sci...376..461B |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In 2017, [[NASA]] renamed the Solar Probe Plus to [[Parker Solar Probe]] in Parker's honor, the first NASA spacecraft named after a living person.<ref name="NYTobit" /><ref name=visit/><ref name=Zurbuchen/> The name was proposed by [[Thomas Zurbuchen]], then the head of science at NASA, who described PSP's mission as "a trip to hell and back" and "one of the most difficult and historic missions NASA has ever done".<ref name=Zurbuchen>{{cite web |last1=Zurbuchen |first1=Thomas |title=Opinion {{!}} A journey to hell in the name of science |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/12/23/parker-solar-probe-nasa/ |website=Washington Post |access-date=16 December 2025 |language=en |date=23 December 2024}}</ref> In October 2017, Parker visited the spacecraft at the [[Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory]] in Laurel, Maryland.<ref name=visit>{{cite web |title=Parker Solar Probe Gets Visit from Namesake |publisher=NASA |date=October 3, 2017 |url=https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/parker-solar-probe-gets-visit-from-namesake/}}</ref> In 2018, Parker and his family traveled to [[Cape Canaveral]] to watch the PSP's launch.<ref name="NYTobit" />

PSP's science teams sent preprints and publications to Parker, who was excited about the mission.<ref name="NYTobit" /><ref name=science/>

<gallery mode=packed heights=180>
Parker_visits_PSP_02.jpg|Parker visits the spacecraft at APL
File:KSC-20180518-PH LCH01 0159 (42834576472).jpg|A plaque with a dedication to Eugene Parker mounted to the PSP
File:Tribute to Eugene Parker, Namesake of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (SVS14120 - 20180731 ParkerProbe 6877).jpg|Parker with a model of the PSP
File:Eugene Parker (30123138228).jpg|Parker at the PSP's launch
</gallery>

In a [[National Geographic]] article, "Dear Parker Solar Probe", Parker wrote:<ref>{{cite web |title=Dear Parker Solar Probe: How 'touching the sun' caps off a lifetime in science |website=[[National Geographic]] |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/dear-solar-probe-eugene-parker-lifetime-science-sun |year=2019 |last=Parker |first=Eugene}}</ref>

{{Quote|text=Dear Solar Probe:

I think there’s a point that’s not widely appreciated, but it’s fundamental: The Sun is an ordinary star of middling mass and middling brightness, but it’s a model for almost all stars—and the only one we’re going to see up close enough to do a whole lot of measurements. There are stars that are oddballs, the ones that interest the astrophysics types. But the fact that the sun supports life on one of its planets is already a unique designation. 

I’m in love with the sun for that reason. Somehow, in many circles, solar physics is looked upon as old, dusty, dried-up problems that don’t really have new solutions. On the contrary, it’s the one star where we know what we’re talking about!}}

Parker Solar Probe used repeated [[Gravity assist|gravity assists]] from [[Venus]] to develop an eccentric orbit, approaching within 9.86 [[solar radius|solar radii]] (6.9 million km or 4.3 million miles)<ref name="PressKit">{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/parkersolarprobe_presskit_august2018_final.pdf|title=NASA Press Kit: Parker Solar Probe|date=August 2018|website=nasa.gov|publisher=NASA|access-date=15 August 2018|archive-date=September 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901085825/https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/parkersolarprobe_presskit_august2018_final.pdf|url-status=live}} {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/p/psp|title=Parker Solar Probe—eoPortal Directory—Satellite Missions|website=directory.eoportal.org|access-date=October 6, 2018|archive-date=July 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701232946/https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/p/psp|url-status=live}}</ref> from the center of the Sun. At its closest approach in 2024, its speed relative to the Sun was {{convert|430000|mph|kph|abbr=on|order=flip}} or 191 km/s (118.7 mi/s), which is 0.064% <!-- Do NOT "correct" this figure.  0.064% IS CORRECT.  Notice the percent sign; 0.00064 EQUALS 0.064%.  If this is not clear, please see the discussions on the Talk Page. --> the [[speed of light]].<ref name="NASA-20180809">{{cite web|last=Garner|first=Rob|title=Parker Solar Probe: Humanity's First Visit to a Star|url=https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/parker-solar-probe-humanity-s-first-visit-to-a-star|date=August 9, 2018|publisher=[[NASA]]|access-date=August 9, 2018|archive-date=June 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605051919/https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/parker-solar-probe-humanity-s-first-visit-to-a-star|url-status=live}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> It is the fastest object ever built on [[Earth]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/home/energy-and-utilities/nasa-solar-probe-becomes-fastest-object-ever-built-as-it-touches-the-sun/|title=NASA solar probe becomes fastest object ever built as it 'touches the sun'|date=May 2, 2021|publisher=CNET|access-date=June 17, 2022}}</ref> PSP is the first spacecraft that entered the solar atmosphere, which was described by NASA as "touching the Sun". It was done when PSP passed the [[Alfven surface]] which marks the end of the solar atmosphere and beginning of the solar wind.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/nasa-enters-the-solar-atmosphere-for-the-first-time-bringing-new-discoveries/ |title=NASA Enters the Solar Atmosphere for the First Time, Bringing New Discoveries |first=Abbey |last=Interrante |publisher=NASA |date=December 14, 2021}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Parker met his future wife, Niesje, in Utah. Her family was from Netherlands, she emigrated to the US after World War II. She had a degree in bacteriology. They married in 1954. In Chicago, Niesje got a job at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and later became an Associate Director of Computing Services.<ref name=tribute/> Parkers were married for 67 years and had two children, a son and a daughter. Parker's hobbies included woodworking, sailing and hiking; at 76, he went to the [[North Pole]] with his son.<ref name=manyworlds/>

Parker was described as a humble man with a "genial personality". He [[teetotaler|never drank alcohol]] or coffee, "always drove at 55 miles per hour", never sought attention, and was rarely critical of other scientists' works. The only scientist he was openly critical of was [[Hannes Alfvén]], who later was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics: "Parker did not think the man dug deeply enough into problems and sometimes had been quite wrong". Parker published several papers "challenging and even undercutting Alfven’s conclusions".<ref name=manyworlds/>

Parker died in Chicago on March 15, 2022, at the age of 94.<ref name="NYTobit">{{cite web|title=Eugene N. Parker, 94, Dies; Predicted the Existence of Solar Wind|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/science/space/eugene-n-parker-dead.html|work=The New York Times|last=Chang|first=Kenneth|date=March 17, 2022|accessdate=March 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name=death>{{Cite web |last1=Lerner |first1=Louise |title=Eugene Parker, 'legendary figure' in solar science and namesake of Parker Solar Probe, 1927–2022 |url=https://news.uchicago.edu/story/eugene-parker-legendary-figure-solar-science-and-namesake-parker-solar-probe-1927-2022 |publisher=University of Chicago |access-date=March 16, 2022 |language=en |date=March 16, 2022}}</ref> His body was cremated, and half of the ashes buried near his log cabin in the woods.<ref name=tribute/>

== Awards and honors ==
* 1967: elected to the [[National Academy of Sciences]]<ref name="agu" />
* 1969: [[Arctowski Medal]] of the [[United States National Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences]]<ref name=Arctowski>{{cite web|title=Arctowski Medal|url=http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AWARDS_arctowski|publisher=[[National Academy of Sciences]]|access-date=February 13, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229195941/http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AWARDS_arctowski|archive-date=December 29, 2010}}</ref>
* 1969: [[Henry Norris Russell Lectureship]] of the [[American Astronomical Society]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Henry Norris Russell Lectureship |url=https://aas.org/grants-and-prizes/henry-norris-russell-lectureship |website=aas.org |publisher=[[American Astronomical Society]] |access-date=March 16, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
* 1978: [[George Ellery Hale Prize]], Solar Physics Division of the [[American Astronomical Society]], first time this prize was awarded<ref>{{cite web |title=George Ellery Hale Prize – Previous Winners |url=https://spd.aas.org/prizes/hale/previous |website=spd.aas.org |publisher=AAS Solar Physics Division |access-date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
*1979: [[Chapman Medal]] of the [[Royal Astronomical Society]]<ref name=ras_chapman_winners>{{cite web|title=Chapman Medal winners|url=https://ras.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2019-03/Chapman_medallists.pdf|work=Awards, medals and prizes|publisher=Royal Astronomical Society|accessdate=October 9, 2019}}</ref>
* 1989: [[National Medal of Science]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Eugene N. Parker|url=https://www.nsf.gov/od/nms/recip_details.jsp?recip_id=269|work=The President's National Medal of Science: Recipient Details|publisher=[[National Science Foundation]]|access-date=December 7, 2013}}</ref>
* 1990: [[William Bowie Medal]]<ref name="agu" />
* 1992: [[Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society]]<ref name="gold_medallists">{{cite web | url=https://ras.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-03/Gold%20Medal%202021.pdf | title=The Gold Medal | publisher=Royal Astronomical Society | year=2021 | access-date=December 20, 2021}}</ref>
* 1997: [[Bruce Medal]]<ref name=bruce/>
* 2003: [[Kyoto Prize]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Citation: Eugene Newman Parker|url=http://www.inamori-f.or.jp/laureates/k19_b_eugene/ctn_e.html|work=Kyoto Prize|publisher=Inamori Foundation|access-date=December 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211172157/http://www.inamori-f.or.jp/laureates/k19_b_eugene/ctn_e.html|archive-date=December 11, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Roach|first=John|title=Astrophysicist Recognized for Discovery of Solar Wind|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0827_030827_kyotoprizeparker.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030830010454/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0827_030827_kyotoprizeparker.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 30, 2003|access-date=December 7, 2013|newspaper=National Geographic News|date=August 27, 2003}}</ref>
* 2003: [[James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics|James Clerk Maxwell Prize]] of the [[American Physical Society]] "For seminal contributions in [[plasma astrophysics]], including predicting the [[solar wind]], explaining the [[solar dynamo]], formulating the theory of [[magnetic reconnection]], and the [[instability]] which predicts the escape of the [[magnetic field]]s from the galaxy."<ref>{{cite web|title=2003 James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics Recipient|url=http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/prizerecipient.cfm?last_nm=Parker&first_nm=Eugene&year=2003|work=Prizes, Awards and Fellowships|publisher=[[American Physical Society]]|access-date=December 7, 2013}}</ref>
* 2010: Member of the [[Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnva.no/c26849/artikkel/vis.html?tid=40118|title=Gruppe 2: Fysikkfag (herunder astronomi, fysikk og geofysikk)|publisher=[[Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters]]|language=no|access-date=October 7, 2010|archive-date=September 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927171005/http://www.dnva.no/c26849/artikkel/vis.html?tid=40118|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 2017: [[NASA]] renamed its ''Solar Probe Plus'' mission to ''[[Parker Solar Probe]]'', the first time that a spacecraft was named after a living person.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[NASA]] |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasa-renames-solar-probe-mission-to-honor-pioneering-physicist-eugene-parker
|title=NASA Renames Solar Probe Mission to Honor Pioneering Physicist Eugene Parker
|date=May 31, 2017
|access-date=May 31, 2017
}}</ref><ref name="NYTobit" />
* 2018: Medal for Exceptional Achievement in Research of the [[American Physical Society]] "For fundamental contributions to space physics, plasma physics, solar physics and astrophysics for over 60 years."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.uchicago.edu/article/2018/01/31/award-honors-prof-eugene-parkers-lifetime-physics-research|title=Award honors Prof. Eugene Parker's lifetime of physics research|date=January 31, 2018|work=UChicago News|access-date=February 1, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
* 2020: [[Crafoord Prize]] in Astronomy<ref>{{cite web |title=The Crafoord Prizes in Mathematics and Astronomy 2020 |url=https://www.crafoordprize.se/press_release/the-crafoord-prizes-in-mathematics-and-astronomy-2020 |access-date=March 17, 2022 |date=January 30, 2020}}</ref>

== Selected publications ==
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
; Scientific articles
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1955ApJ...122..293P |title=Hydromagnetic Dynamo Models |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=122 |pages=293–314 |date=1955a |doi=10.1086/146087}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1955ApJ...121..491P |title=The Formation of Sunspots from the Solar Toroidal Field |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=121 |pages=491 |date=1955b |doi=10.1086/146010}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1957JGR....62..509P |title=Sweet's Mechanism for Merging Magnetic Fields in Conducting Fluids |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research |volume=62 |issue=4 |pages=509–520 |date=1957 |doi=10.1029/JZ062i004p00509}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1958ApJ...128..664P |title=Dynamics of the Interplanetary Gas and Magnetic Fields |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=128 |pages=664 |date=1958a |doi=10.1086/146579}}
* {{Cite journal |url=https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1958ApJ...128..677P |year=1958b |bibcode=1958ApJ...128..677P |title=Suprathermal Particle Generation in the Solar Corona |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |journal=Astrophysical Journal |volume=128 |page=677 |doi=10.1086/146580 }}
* {{Cite journal |bibcode=1959JGR....64.1675P |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1959JGR....64.1675P/abstract |title=Extension of the Solar Corona into Interplanetary Space |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research |date=1959 |volume=64 |issue=11 |pages=1675–1681 |doi=10.1029/JZ064i011p01675 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1963ApJ...138..552P |title=Kinematical Hydromagnetic Theory and its Application to the Low Solar Photosphere |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=138 |pages=552 |date=1963a |doi=10.1086/147663}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |title=The Solar Wind |journal=Scientific American |volume=210 |issue=4 |pages=66–76 |date=1964 |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0464-66 |bibcode=1964SciAm.210d..66P }}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1965SSRv....4..666P |title=Dynamical Theory of the Solar Wind |journal=Space Science Reviews |volume=4 |issue=5–6 |pages=666–708 |date=1965a |doi=10.1007/BF00216273}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1965P&SS...13....9P |title=The Passage of Energetic Charged Particles through Interplanetary Space |journal=Planetary and Space Science |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=9–49 |date=1965b |doi=10.1016/0032-0633(65)90131-5}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1966ApJ...145..811P |title=The Dynamical State of the Interstellar Gas and Field |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=145 |pages=811 |date=1966 |doi=10.1086/148828}}
*{{cite journal |title=The dynamical state of the interstellar gas and field. II. Non-linear growth of clouds and forces in three dimensions
|first=Eugene N. |last=Parker
|journal=Astrophysical Journal |volume= 149 |year=1967a |page=517 |doi=10.1086/149282 |bibcode=1967ApJ...149..517P |url=https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/record/seri/ApJ../0149/1967ApJ...149..517P.html}}
*{{cite journal |title=The Dynamical State of the Interstellar Gas and Field. III. Turbulence and Enhanced Diffusion |first=Eugene N. |last=Parker
|journal=Astrophysical Journal |volume=149 |year=1967b |page=535 |doi=10.1086/149283 |bibcode=1967ApJ...149..535P |url=https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/record/seri/ApJ../0149/1967ApJ...149..535P.html}}
*{{cite journal |title=The Dynamical State of the Interstellar Gas and Field. VI. Instability and Enhanced Diffusion in a Twisted Field |first1=I. |last1=Lerche |first2=Eugene N. |last2=Parker |journal=Astrophysical Journal |volume=154 |year=1968 |page=515 |doi=10.1086/149778 |bibcode=1968ApJ...154..515L |url=https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1968ApJ...154..515L}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Parker |first1=Eugene N. |title=Galactic effects of the cosmic-ray gas |journal=Space Science Reviews |date=1969a |volume=9 |issue=5 |page=651 |doi=10.1007/BF00174032 |bibcode=1969SSRv....9..651P |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00174032|url-access=subscription }}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Jokipii |first1=J. R. |last2=Parker |first2=E. N. |title=Stochastic Aspects of Magnetic Lines of Force with Application to Cosmic-Ray Propagation |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=1969b |volume=155 |page=777 |doi=10.1086/149909 |bibcode=1969ApJ...155..777J }}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1970ApJ...160..383P |title=The Origin of Magnetic Fields |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=160 |pages=383 |date=1970 |doi=10.1086/150442}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1971ApJ...163..255P |title=The Generation of Magnetic Fields in Astrophysical Bodies. II. The Galactic Field |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=163 |pages=255 |date=1971 |doi=10.1086/150765}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1972ApJ...174..499P |title=Topological Dissipation and the Small-Scale Fields in Turbulent Gases |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=174 |pages=499 |date=1972 |doi=10.1086/151512}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1975ApJ...198..205P |title=The Generation of Magnetic Fields in Astrophysical Bodies. X - Magnetic Buoyancy and the Solar Dynamo |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=198 |pages=205–209 |date=1975 |doi=10.1086/153593}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1978ApJ...221..368P |title=Hydraulic Concentration of Magnetic Fields in the Solar Photosphere. VI. Adiabatic Cooling and Concentration in Downdrafts |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=221 |pages=368–377 |date=1978 |doi=10.1086/156035}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1979ApJ...230..905P |title=Sunspots and the Physics of Magnetic Flux Tubes. I. The General Nature of the Sunspots |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=230 |pages=905–923 |date=1979a |doi=10.1086/157150}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1983ApJ...264..642P |title=Magnetic Neutral Sheets in Evolving Fields - Part Two - Formation of the Solar Corona |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=264 |pages=642 |date=1983 |doi=10.1086/160637}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1988ApJ...330..474P |title=Nanoflares and the Solar X-Ray Corona |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=330 |pages=474 |date=1988 |doi=10.1086/166485}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1989GApFD..45..169P |title=Tangential Discontinuities and the Optical Analogy for Stationary Fields II. The Optical Analogy |journal=Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=169–182 |date=1989 |doi=10.1080/03091928908208898}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1993ApJ...408..707P |title=A Solar Dynamo Surface Wave at the Interface between Convection and Nonuniform Rotation |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=408 |pages=707 |date=1993 |doi=10.1086/172631}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Parker |first1=Eugene N. |title=The Century of Space Science |chapter=A history of the solar wind concept |date=2001 |pages=225–255 |doi=10.1007/978-94-010-0320-9_9 |isbn=978-0-7923-7196-0 }}

; Books
* {{cite book |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |title=Interplanetary Dynamical Processes |publisher=Interscience Publishers |location=New York |date=1963b |isbn=978-0-47-065916-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |title=Cosmical Magnetic Fields: Their Origin and Their Activity |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |date=1979b |isbn=978-0-19-851290-5}}.
* {{cite book |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |title=Spontaneous Current Sheets in Magnetic Fields: With Applications to Stellar X-rays |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=1994 |isbn=978-0-19-507371-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |title=Conversations on Electric and Magnetic Fields in the Cosmos |publisher=Princeton University Press |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-691-12841-2}}

; Other articles
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=1996JApA...17..147P |title=S. Chandrasekhar and Magnetohydrodynamics |journal=Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy |volume=17 |issue=3–4 |pages=147–166 |date=1996 |doi=10.1007/BF02702301}}
* {{Cite journal | title = The martial art of scientific publication | year = 1997 | last1 = Parker | first1 = E. N. | journal = [[Eos (magazine)|EOS Transactions]] | volume = 78 | issue = 37 | pages = 391–395 | doi = 10.1029/97EO00251 | bibcode = 1997EOSTr..78..391P}}
* {{cite journal |last=Parker |first=Eugene N. |bibcode=2014RAA....14....1P |title=Reminiscing My Sixty Year Pursuit of the Physics of the Sun and the Galaxy |journal=Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=1–14 |date=2014 |doi=10.1088/1674-4527/14/1/001}}
{{refend}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
<references>

<ref name="bruce">{{cite web|url=http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/BruceMedalists/Parker/index.html |first=Joseph S. |last=Tenn |title=Eugene Newman Parker: 1997 Bruce Medalist |publisher=Sonoma State University |access-date=December 7, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="agu">{{cite web |url=http://www.agu.org/honorsprogram/bowie_lectures/parker.shtml |first=Joseph N. |last=Tatarewicz |title=Eugene N. Parker (1912– ) |work=Honors program |publisher=[[American Geophysical Union]] |access-date=December 7, 2013 |archive-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212165326/http://www.agu.org/honorsprogram/bowie_lectures/parker.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

</references>

== External links ==
* {{Commons-inline}}
* [https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pop/article/32/1/010401/3329095/Preface-to-special-topic-Plasma-physics-of-the-Sun Preface to special topic: Plasma physics of the Sun in honor of Eugene Parker]

{{National Medal of Science|physical}}
{{Psp}}
{{Hannes Alfvén Prize recipients}}
{{James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics recipients}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Eugene}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American astronomers]]
[[Category:21st-century American astronomers]]
[[Category:American astrophysicists]]
[[Category:American plasma physicists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Physical Society]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society]]
[[Category:Foreign fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society]]
[[Category:Kyoto laureates in Basic Sciences]]
[[Category:Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters]]
[[Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Michigan State University alumni]]
[[Category:National Medal of Science laureates]]
[[Category:People from Houghton, Michigan]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society]]
[[Category:Scientists from Michigan]]
[[Category:University of Chicago faculty]]
[[Category:University of Utah faculty]]