Scientists have managed to create the first ever artificial solar eclipse to study a phenomenon which affects us down on Earth.
The European Space Agency (ESA) wanted to take a closer look at a rare celestial event using their cutting-edge satellites in a mission they dubbed Proba-3.
Instead of just standing around stargazing into space, they did what any reasonable person with a goal, a can-do attitude, oh, and a spare £154,000,000 kicking around would do. They made an eclipse.
The project involved observing a solar eclipse from space, something that offers scientists a completely different perspective compared to views from Earth.
ESA's artificial eclipse required 1mm precision
The European Space Agency’s Proba-3 mission was designed to push the boundaries of solar observation by creating an artificial eclipse in space.
Advert
The project involved launching two satellites into space last year, and having them eventually settle just 150 meters apart from each other.
Natural solar eclipses provide rare opportunities to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere, but they don't happen very often, leading the ESA to make its own eclipse.
By using two spacecraft flying in perfect formation, the mission aimed to block out the Sun’s main light with one satellite while allowing the second to view the faint corona.
Not only is this a scientific breakthrough, it's also a massive engineering feat too, with the space agency managing to maintain an impressive level of precision to keep the satellites 150 meters apart.
The formation had to be held accurately down to 1mm for the eclipse to work.
Why is ESA's artificial eclipse important?
The two satellites managed to align perfectly, with one blocking the Sun’s main light and the other capturing the faint outer atmosphere.
The result was a set of clear images showing the Sun's corona which were shared by the ESA at the Paris Air Show.
Not only did their findings show that it is possible to make a man-made eclipse to study our planet's star, they also show that it is possible to maintain a precision formation in space, which can be used in future missions.
The satellites, and any imagery that comes from them, will also go a long way to helping the space agency when it comes to understanding the Sun's outer atmosphere, as well as the solar winds that come from it.
They also wanted further insight into coronal mass ejections (CMEs), solar flares that can disrupt communications, navigation and power back on Earth.
What is an eclipse?
An eclipse occurs when one celestial body moves into the shadow of another.
In a solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun’s light and casting a shadow over parts of the Earth.
From the ground, this looks like the Sun is being covered, or at least partially covered, depending on your location.
In this mission, however, the eclipse was man-made. Instead of using the Moon, one satellite acted as an artificial blocker, creating the same visual effect for a second satellite to observe.
This allowed scientists to study the Sun’s corona under controlled conditions, without needing to sit around twiddling their thumbs until a real eclipse came around.
Kegan Marquez