Two European Space Agency (ESA) satellites launched on Thursday aim to improve our understanding of the Sun’s outermost layer, known as the corona. The Proba-3 mission will create temporary solar eclipses by blocking out the Sun’s light, allowing scientists to study these events from space.
The corona is a complex and difficult-to-study region of the Sun. Its intense brightness makes it challenging to observe directly, and current techniques often have limitations. To overcome this issue, Proba-3 uses two spacecraft: the Occulter and the Coronagraph. The Occulter carries a 1.4-meter disk that blocks the Sun’s light from reaching the Coronagraph, while the Coronagraph instrument points toward the Sun to “see” the corona behind the Occulter.
Launched from India’s eastern coast, the spacecraft have settled into high Earth orbit and will conduct their first artificial eclipse in March. The ESA has planned six hours of controlled corona-viewing time per orbit, using a combination of reaction wheels, gyroscopes, and cold gas thrusters to maintain position.
Although these eclipses won’t be visible from Earth, the ESA will share images of some events with the public once they begin. By studying the corona through Proba-3, scientists hope to gain insights into solar weather phenomena that affect space and our planet, such as coronal mass ejections, solar flares, and auroras.
Source: https://www.extremetech.com/science/satellite-duo-will-create-several-temporary-solar-eclipses