European scientists are preparing to launch two satellites designed to create an artificial total solar eclipse.
The European Space Agency (ESA) will launch the Proba-3 spacecraft in the coming weeks, involving a pair of satellites flying closely in formation around Earth’s orbit.
These two satellites will be connected by laser beams and light sensors. One satellite will block the sunlight from the other, creating an eclipse that lasts for several hours. ESA has stated that observing these eclipses will aid in studying the Sun and understanding how it can disrupt power lines, GPS satellites, and other technologies on Earth.
Total solar eclipse phenomenon.
ESA believes that this mission will also pave the way for other space flights that support research on gravitational waves, exoplanets, and black holes.
ESA has spent over a decade planning this mission, which includes developing a series of complex sensors that keep the two satellites locked together with an accuracy of less than one millimeter as they fly around Earth, separated by 144 meters.
The Proba-3 project manager, Mr. Damien Galano, told the Observer: “When the two satellites are in the correct orbit, one satellite will release a disc that covers the sunlight of the second satellite, thus creating an eclipse lasting up to six hours each day.”
Mr. Francisco Diego from University College London (UK) mentioned that on Earth, total solar eclipses happen on average about every two years, and scientists often have to travel long distances and rely on weather conditions to study them, while observations can only take place for a few minutes. This does not provide much time for scientists to conduct detailed observations.
Scientists are particularly interested in studying the solar corona that appears during an eclipse due to its temperature. The surface of the Sun can reach 6,000 degrees Celsius, while the temperature of the corona is around 1 million degrees. By creating a solar eclipse lasting for hours, Proba-3 will generate data to help solve this mystery.
Mr. Diego added: “We will be able to study the corona in detail and for an extended duration, generating information that explains why it is so hot while the surface of the Sun is relatively ‘cool.’ This will help us understand how the Sun affects space weather.”
