The European Space Agency (ESA) carried out an artificial solar eclipse in space as part of the Proba-3 mission. The two small satellites used in the mission were aligned with millimeter precision, creating an eclipse that could last up to six hours. This development allowed the corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun, to be examined in previously impossible detail.
ESA carried out an artificial solar eclipse in space
The Proba-3 mission, launched in 2024 and costing 200 million euros, aimed to address one of the biggest limitations in solar observations. Natural solar eclipses can be observed from Earth approximately once every 18 months and last only a few minutes. This short period posed a serious limitation for researchers who wanted to study the structure of the corona, temperature fluctuations and solar winds. Proba-3 overcame this problem by creating controlled artificial eclipses in orbit.
The mission consists of two satellites named “Occulter” and “Coronagraph”. These satellites, which are about the size of a washing machine, follow a highly elliptical orbit around the Earth. They move by maintaining a distance of 150 meters between them with only a deviation of one millimeter. The eclipse occurs when the Occulter satellite casts an 8-centimeter shadow on the other satellite.
This shadow coincides exactly with the 5-centimeter viewing aperture of the Coronagraph satellite. In this way, the interference of sunlight that normally interferes with the observation is prevented and the corona can be viewed with high clarity only in certain wavelengths.
One of the most striking aspects of Proba-3 is that it can continue this artificial eclipse for approximately six hours during each 19.6-hour orbit. This period offers an extraordinarily long observation window compared to natural eclipses.
It makes it possible to continuously monitor dynamic processes such as coronal mass ejections, solar winds and temperature fluctuations that occur in relation to the Sun’s magnetic field.
This data is of critical importance not only in the field of solar physics but also for technological infrastructures on Earth. The accuracy of simulations developed to better model and predict solar-related events that can have an impact on communication systems and power grids is increasing.
Scientists continue to work on early warning systems using digital eclipses by updating computer models with the observations obtained. So what do you think about this? You can share your views with us in the comments section below.
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