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The European Space Agency (ESA) has pulled off a cosmic spectacle. Proba‑3, its two-satellite mission, has captured the first ever artificial eclipse images of the Sun’s blazing corona.
Artificial Eclipse To Look At The Sun
Using a daring bit of orbital choreography, one satellite (the “occulter”) played the role of celestial blocker while its partner (the “coronagraph”) snapped ultra-sharp pictures of the Sun’s outer atmosphere. The result? Stunning visuals of solar plasma usually only visible during rare total eclipses.
With Proba-3’s highly accurate formation flying, eclipses can last up to six hours, in contrast to the brief two-minute shadow shows on Earth. Keeping an astonishing 150 meter distance with millimeter precision, the two come together flawlessly once every 19.7 hours in a highly elliptical orbit. As a result, scientists get a longer look at the corona’s blazing dance than they had with any prior mission.
Piercing the Sun’s Secrets One Plasma Stream at a Time
Proba‑3’s artificial eclipse has already revealed spectacular structures in green and yellow light, exposing plasma waves, solar wind origins, and hints of the mysterious forces behind coronal mass ejections. These solar storms can wreak havoc on satellites and Earth’s power grids. This breakthrough could sharpen our ability to forecast space weather disasters before they strike.
The Artificial Eclipse: Perfect Space Symmetry
The real show-stopper, however, is the technology. Proba-3 is the first mission to achieve autonomous millimeter-perfect satellite formation flight without real-time human control.
Powered by lasers, GPS, star trackers, and radio links, this orbital duo pave the way for next-generation space telescopes and planetary missions based on fleets of perfectly coordinated satellites.
