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Indian Express
21 hours ago
- Science
- Indian Express
How scientists created an ‘artificial' total solar eclipse to unlock the Sun's secrets
The sun's corona (or outer atmosphere) has proved a difficult subject for solar scientists on Earth to study, appearing only in a total solar eclipse. This phenomenon, occurring once in around 18 months, was their only opportunity to observe parts of the corona. However, with Proba-3's recent mission, research can advance at a much quicker pace. The European Space Agency (ESA) on June 16, announced that the Proba-3 mission had created an 'artificial total solar eclipse' in orbit. This was achieved as the mission's two spacecraft – the Coronagraph and the Occulter – flew in formation 150 metres apart, and aligned so that the Occulter's disc covered the sun's disc, casting a shadow onto the Coronagraph's optical instrument. 'I was absolutely thrilled to see the images, especially since we got them on the first try,' Andrei Zhukov, principal investigator for ASPIICS at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, said in a statement. The mission was launched in December 2024. It involved sending both satellites into the solar orbit. In March this year, both spacecraft flew 150 metres apart, in formation up to to a millimetre's precision, without control from the Earth for several hours. When creating the artificial solar eclipse, the satellites aligned in formation based on the position of the Sun. Then, Occulter's 1.4-metre large disc would be used to block the sun's disc. This would cast a shadow of approximately 8 centimetre, across the Coronagraph's optical instruments, positioned behind the Occulter. Thanks to the precision, these instruments were able to provide the images of the corona. 'Our 'artificial eclipse' images are comparable with those taken during a natural eclipse. The difference is that we can create our eclipse once every 19.6-hour orbit, while total solar eclipses only occur naturally around once, very rarely twice a year. On top of that, natural total eclipses only last a few minutes, while Proba-3 can hold its artificial eclipse for up to 6 hours,' Zhukov explained. This mission could prove crucial for solar scientists, with previously unseen angles of the elusive corona becoming available for study. One benefit could be the study of solar wind, described by the ESA as 'the continuous flow of matter from the Sun into outer space.' Driven by the corona, these winds usually consist of charged particles, and constantly rain down upon the Earth as well. However, this can be interrupted by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), or solar storms. This subsequently affects space weather, which in turn can affect Earth's power grids, communication systems, and satellite operations. With the data from the Proba-3 mission and any subsequent missions focused on corona imaging, solar scientists can be better prepared for the potential threat of a severe solar storm – which NASA describes as 'a sudden explosion of particles, energy, magnetic fields, and material blasted into the solar system by the Sun'. Another question that Proba-3 would be able to solve is how the corona, which extends millions of miles across space, but still reaches temperatures above a million degrees Celsius, burns much hotter than the surface. To understand the reasoning, Proba-3 is attempting to study the corona at a minimal distance from the sun's surface. Due to the quality of the equipment, fewer stray rays would hit the detector, more details would be captured, and fainter features would be detected as compared to a traditional coronagraph. 'Current coronagraphs are no match for Proba-3, which will observe the Sun's corona down almost to the edge of the solar surface. So far, this was only possible during natural solar eclipses,' Jorge Amaya, Space Weather Modelling Coordinator at ESA, said in the ESA release. Alongside the key data provided by Proba-3, its precision flying in formation also paved the way for future missions, such as the ESA's Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), scheduled to launch in 2035. This mission will contain three identical spacecraft, arranged in an equilateral triangle formation, trailing behind the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. The mission is scheduled to last two years, aiming to capture images of the corona for further study, and then re-enter the Earth's atmosphere five years post-launch, as per the ESA. (This article has been curated by Purv Ashar, who is an intern with The Indian Express)
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
First artificial eclipse in orbit delivers unprecedented glimpse of Sun's corona
In a dazzling first, two European spacecraft —flying in millimeter-perfect formation — have created an artificial solar eclipse in space, capturing the clearest images of the Sun's elusive corona yet. The European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission has released its first set of solar corona images, offering a rare glimpse into one of the Sun's most mysterious layers that holds clues to solar storms and space weather. The breakthrough comes after the twin satellites, carrying Coronagraph and Occulter, achieved the remarkable feat of flying 150 meters apart in near-perfect sync, creating an orbiting total eclipse for scientific study. Unlike traditional coronagraphs, which must contend with stray light and Earth's atmosphere, Proba-3 performed this delicate maneuver entirely in space. The Occulter blocked out the Sun's bright disk with a 1.4-meter shield, casting an 8-centimeter-wide shadow onto the Coronagraph's optical instrument, ASPIICS, which then captured the faint, ghostly halo of the corona. With its 5-centimeter aperture, ASPIICS is able to see much closer to the Sun's surface and with greater clarity than ever before. 'Each full image – covering the area from the occulted Sun all the way to the edge of the field of view – is actually constructed from three images. The difference between those is only the exposure time, which determines how long the coronagraph's aperture is exposed to light. Combining the three images gives us the full view of the corona,' said Andrei Zhukov, Principal Investigator for ASPIICS at the Royal Observatory of Belgium. This artificial eclipse can be generated every 19.6 hours and held for up to six hours, a vast improvement over the fleeting minutes of natural eclipses, which occur barely once or twice a year. The solar corona, mysteriously hotter than the surface beneath it, is central to understanding the solar wind and coronal mass ejections. These violent bursts of particles can spark auroras or disrupt communications and power grids on Earth. Proba-3's early observations are already helping refine solar models, especially with the support of ESA's Virtual Space Weather Modelling Centre and KU Leuven's COCONUT software. 'Seeing the first data from ASPIICS is incredibly exciting. Together with the measurements made by another instrument on board, DARA, ASPIICS will contribute to unraveling long-lasting questions about our home star,' says Joe Zender, ESA's Proba-3 project scientist. Proba-3's formation flying relies on a suite of advanced positioning systems developed under ESA's General Support Technology Programme. Mission manager Damien Galano said that the satellites achieved their first precise alignment autonomously, with ground control ready to step in, though future operations aim for full autonomy. 'Having two spacecraft form one giant coronagraph in space allowed us to capture the inner corona with very low levels of stray light in our observations, exactly as we expected.,' Galano said. 'Although we are still in the commissioning phase, we have already achieved precise formation flying with unprecedented accuracy. This is what allowed us to capture the mission's first images, which will no doubt be of high value to the scientific community. The mission also carried two other scientific instruments including the Digital Absolute Radiometer (DARA), which measures the Sun's total energy output, and the 3D Energetic Electron Spectrometer (3DEES), which studies electron activity in Earth's radiation belts. Built by a 14-country consortium led by Spain's Sener, with key input from Belgium and India, Proba-3 launched aboard a PSLV-XL rocket from Sriharikota in December 2024. Scientists are now working to extend the eclipse observation window and feed the data into models that could forecast solar activity with greater accuracy. 'Current coronagraphs are no match for Proba-3, which will observe the Sun's corona down almost to the edge of the solar surface. So far, this was only possible during natural solar eclipses,' says Jorge Amaya, Space Weather Modelling Coordinator at ESA. 'This huge flow of observations will help refine computer models further as we compare and adjust variables to match the real images. Together with the team at KU Leuven, which is behind one such model, we have been able to create a simulation of Proba-3's first observations.'
UPI
3 days ago
- Science
- UPI
European satellites succeed in creating artificial solar eclipse
A medium-sized solar flare and a coronal mass ejection erupt from the sun in July 2017. The space agency Proba-3's goal for a recent mission was to observe the sun's corona, which the agency said is important for studying solar wind and understanding coronal mass ejections. Photo courtesy of NASA | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- A European space agency created the first "artificial total solar eclipse" using a pair of satellites on Tuesday. The space agency Proba-3 showed the first images of the Sun's outer atmosphere -- the solar corona. In its announcement, the agency said that this will help improve the understanding of the sun and its atmosphere. A pair of spacecrafts was used, the Coronagraph and the Occulter. They flew 492 feet apart for several hours without any control from the ground to create an artificial total solar eclipse's orbit. The two satellites use an optical instrument to take photos of the sun's corona. The agency's goal for this mission was to observe the sun's corona, which the agency said is important for studying solar wind and understanding coronal mass ejections. "Many of the technologies which allowed Proba-3 to perform precise formation flying have been developed through ESA's General Support Technology Program, as has the mission itself. It is exciting to see these stunning images validate our technologies in what is now the world's first precision formation flying mission," Dietmar Pilz, ESA director of Technology, Engineering and Quality said. "I was absolutely thrilled to see the images, especially since we got them on the first try," Andrei Zhukov, principal investigator for ASPIICS at the Royal Observatory of Belgium said. "Our 'artificial eclipse' images are comparable with those taken during a natural eclipse. The difference is that we can create our eclipse once every 19.6-hour orbit, while total solar eclipses only occur naturally around once, very rarely twice a year. On top of that, natural total eclipses only last a few minutes, while Proba-3 can hold its artificial eclipse for up to 6 hours," said Zhukov. The Proba-3 mission is led by ESA, managed by Spain's Sener, with more than 29 companies from 14 countries involved.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Satellites align to create 'artificial total solar eclipse,' photos show
Two European satellites created an "artificial total solar eclipse" in space, the European Space Agency announced June 16, delivering data that will improve scientists' understanding of the sun and its atmosphere. The agency said the satellites, named Coronagraph and Occulter, flew 429 feet apart in perfect formation for "several hours" without being controlled from the ground to create the artificial eclipse. The Proba-3 mission, according to the agency, helps scientists examine the sun's corona to study solar winds, the continuous flow of matter from the sun into outer space, and the workings of coronal mass ejections. "It is exciting to see these stunning images validate our technologies in what is now the world's first precision formation flying mission," Dietmar Pilz, European Space Agency's director of technology, engineering, and quality, said in a news release. The mission has created 10 artificial eclipses so far, with the longest being five hours, lead scientist Andrei Zhukov told The Associated Press. "We almost couldn't believe our eyes," Zhukov, who works for the Royal Observatory of Belgium, told the news organization service. "This was the first try, and it worked. It was so incredible." During the eclipses, the ASPIICS optical instrument on the Coronagraph captured images of the solar corona while the Occulter blocked out the sun's light. The images were processed by the ASPIICS Science Operations Center at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, where a team of scientists created photos of the corona based on input from the scientific community. "Current coronagraphs are no match for Proba-3, which will observe the sun's corona down almost to the edge of the solar surface. So far, this was only possible during natural solar eclipses," said Jorge Amaya, space weather modelling coordinator at the European Space Agency. The agency added that the Proba-3 mission's images will help computer modeling of the sun's corona. Amaya pointed to an already completed simulation of Proba-3's first observations, and the agency said that the data could help "offer a comprehensive image of the solar phenomena impacting our planet and help citizens and industry prepare against them." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: European satellites create an artificial eclipse in space
Time of India
3 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
ESA reveals the first stunning images of an artificial solar eclipse created by Proba-3 satellites
The European Space Agency 's Proba-3 mission has achieved a major milestone by capturing its first images of the Sun's faint outer atmosphere, known as the solar corona. This was made possible by two spacecraft flying in precise formation to create the world's first artificial solar eclipse in space . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now One satellite blocked the Sun's bright disk, allowing the second to image the hidden corona in exceptional detail. This innovative approach overcomes the limitations of ground-based observations and natural eclipses. The images offer valuable insights into solar activity, space weather, and the Sun's influence on Earth, marking a new era in solar research. Proba-3 creates first artificial solar eclipse in space Proba-3 is made up of two spacecraft, the Coronagraph and the Occulter, that fly 150 metres separated in perfect synchrony. In March, the mission achieved a first ever in space: the satellites kept their alignment to within a millimetre for several hours without any intervention from ground control. This unprecedented precision is made possible by sophisticated onboard navigation and position systems, enabling the Occulter to project a perfectly aligned shadow onto the instrument of the Coronagraph, ASPIICS. During these formation-flying exercises, the 1.4-meter disk on the Occulter spacecraft eclipses the Sun's brilliant surface so that the Coronagraph's ASPIICS instrument can study the solar corona in detail. The 8 cm wide shadow on ASPIICS is all that results, but it provides a clean, unbroken view of the outer atmosphere of the Sun. Built under the leadership of ESA by a consortium led by Belgium's Centre Spatial de Liège, ASPIICS takes corona pictures without the solar glare due to its 5 cm aperture being carefully shielded. Source: ESA Proba-3's early images offer new insights into solar storms It is necessary to understand the corona in order to study solar wind and coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—great solar particle blasts that can interrupt Earth's communications, navigation systems, and power grids, as evidenced by a powerful geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The first ASPIICS pictures already suggest that the mission may bring new understanding of these lively solar phenomena. Dietmar Pilz, ESA's Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, stressed that several of the technologies used in Proba-3 were created under the umbrella of ESA's General Support Technology Programme. "This is the world's first precision formation flying mission," stated Pilz, "and these marvelous images prove the feasibility of our technological innovation." Source: ESA Why the sun's outer layer is hotter than its surface: Proba-3 looks for answers One of the Sun's biggest secrets is how its corona is millions of degrees hotter than its surface. ASPIICS will investigate this temperature paradox by imaging regions very near the Sun with little stray light, detecting even the slightest structures. Project scientist Joe Zender says by using ASPIICS data along with onboard readings from instruments such as DARA (Digital Absolute Radiometer) and 3DEES (3D Energetic Electron Spectrometer), some of solar science's oldest mysteries will be solved. Proba-3 achieves first eclipse on first attempt, marking a new era in solar observation The first successful eclipse observation for the mission was on the first try. "I was really excited to see the images," stated Andrei Zhukov, ASPIICS Principal Investigator at the Royal Observatory of Belgium. His team at the ASPIICS Science Operations Centre (SOC) is developing the observation time to six hours per orbit. Each integrated image of the corona is built from three exposures of different lengths so that scientists can see both bright and dim features in a single composite. In contrast with natural eclipses that happen once or twice a year for a few minutes, Proba-3 produces an eclipse every 19.6 hours lasting up to six hours—a great step forward in solar observation technology. Mission manager Damien Galano says the spacecraft has already successfully accomplished formation flight with record accuracy. Despite still being in the commissioning phase, the mission already accomplished milestones likely to be of significant scientific significance. Full autonomous formation flying, without ground monitoring, is the last frontier the team aims for. Proba-3's high-resolution solar images set new benchmark Proba-3 is also transforming the way we simulate the Sun. Its high-resolution images enable scientists to enhance computer simulations of solar eclipses used for research on solar weather. These observations are way beyond the capabilities of today's coronagraphs," said ESA's Space Weather Modelling Coordinator Jorge Amaya. The new information is fed into models such as COCONUT, created at KU Leuven, which are part of ESA's Virtual Space Weather Modelling Centre (VSWMC). These provide together the means to predict and prepare for solar impacts on our planet. About the Proba-3 mission Proba-3 is an ESA-led mission built by a consortium of more than 29 companies in 14 different countries, led by Sener (Spain) and with prominent roles being undertaken by GMV, Airbus Defence and Space, Redwire Space, and Spacebel. The mission was launched on 5 December 2024 onboard a PSLV-XL rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. Also Read |
