Latest news with #Proba3
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Line Up Satellites to Create "Artificial Total Solar Eclipse"
Two satellites just carefully lined up to form a perfect "artificial total solar eclipse" in orbit. Earlier this year, the two probes, which are part of the European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission, positioned themselves in a perfect line 492 feet apart to have one of them perfectly obfuscate the Sun's rays. Impressively, they were able to maintain their position with an accuracy down to the millimeter. The outermost satellite then snapped fascinating pictures of the Sun's corona, the outermost part of our star's atmosphere, something that's generally speaking only possible during a natural solar eclipse. The first "Occulter" satellite's 4.6-foot disc cast a three-inch shadow onto the Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun (ASPIICS) instrument mounted to the second "Coronagraph" satellite, allowing it to get an uninterrupted view of the Sun's corona. The spectacular satellite dance could give researchers new ways to study solar wind, or the continuous flow of particles from the Sun. It could also give them new views of coronal mass ejections, powerful explosions of plasma and magnetic fields that have been linked to radio blackouts and GPS outages here on Earth. "It is exciting to see these stunning images validate our technologies in what is now the world's first precision formation flying mission," said ESA director of technology Dietmar Pilz in a statement. Researchers behind the stunt are excited to gather even more images and data of the Sun's corona. "I was absolutely thrilled to see the images, especially since we got them on the first try," ASPIICS principal investigator Andrei Zhukov added. "Now we are working on extending the observation time to six hours in every orbit." "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," he explained. "Combining the three images gives us the full view of the corona." Best of all, Zhukov and his colleagues found that the satellites' "'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," he added, "while total solar eclipses only occur naturally around once, very rarely twice a year." Scientists are already excited about the glut of new observations that could greatly enhance existing research into the Sun's atmosphere, including efforts to use computer simulations to predict future patterns. "This huge flow of observations will help refine computer models further as we compare and adjust variables to match the real images," said ESA space weather modeling coordinator Jorge Amaya in the statement. More on solar eclipses: Here's What NASA's Rovers See During an Eclipse on Mars
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
A fake solar eclipse? European satellites photograph ‘eclipse-making' mission
Two European satellites took photographs of a recent experiment, taken while facing the sun, where they mimicked the circumstances that cause a total solar eclipse. Launched last year, the Proba-3 mission consists of twin satellites sent into Earth's orbit to study the sun's corona, where the sun's atmosphere emits light and flares, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). In March, the satellites accomplished their mission, and ESA released images of the artificial solar eclipse on Monday. One satellite, obstructing the sun, hovered 492 feet away from the other probe, which aimed its telescope toward the sun's corona, the ESA said. The satellites had to be perfectly aligned to capture 'images of the solar corona uninterrupted by the sun's bright light,' the agency said in its statement. '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, the ESA's director of technology, engineering and quality, said in the statement. The difference between these artificial eclipses and real ones is that artificial eclipses can be made every 19.6 hours that the satellites orbit Earth and can be held for up to six hours, Andrei Zhukov of the Royal Observatory of Belgium said in the statement. In contrast, natural eclipses happen twice a year and last a few minutes. This accomplishment gives ESA and other space agencies the chance to better study eclipses and the sun's surface, rather than wait for natural eclipses to happen, the agency added. Strawberries on the brain? This full moon could be the treat for you Here are 10 NASA missions that could be grounded under Trump's 2026 budget Selfie on Mars? Here's how NASA caught a new glimpse of the Martian surface New research says our universe only has a quinvigintillion years left, so make 'em good ones Video: Erupting volcanoes cause 'dancing' light show in space Read the original article on MassLive.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
In Photos: First Ever ‘Fake' Total Solar Eclipse Created In Space
The Sun's inner corona appears greenish in this image taken on 23 May 2025 by the ASPIICS ... More coronagraph aboard Proba-3, ESA's formation-flying mission capable of creating artificial total solar eclipses in orbit. This image, captured in the visible light spectrum, shows the solar corona similarly to how a human eye would see it during an eclipse through a green filter. The hair-like structures were revealed using a specialised image processing algorithm. The European Space Agency has published the first spectacular images of an artificial solar eclipse created in orbit. The pioneering images are from its Proba-3 mission, which features two satellites that fly in formation with millimeter precision, allowing scientists to study the sun's corona without waiting for rare natural eclipses. It's also the world's first precision formation flying mission. Launched on December 5, 2024, from India, Proba-3 is a two-year mission during which a total solar eclipse will be created for six hours in every 19.6-hour orbit. 'Our 'artificial eclipse' images are comparable with those taken during a natural eclipse," said Andrei Zhukov, Principal Investigator for ASPIICS at the Royal Observatory of Belgium. The Sun's inner corona, coloured artificially to appear violet, in an image taken on 23 May 2025 by ... More the ASPIICS coronagraph aboard Proba-3, ESA's formation-flying mission capable of creating artificial total solar eclipses in orbit. This image shows the corona in polarised white light, captured using a special technique which allows scientists to separate the hot corona's polarized light from the light scattered by interplanetary dust. '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.' One satellite, the Occulter, acts as an artificial moon, blocking the sun's light using a 1.4-meter-diameter disc. It flies exactly 150 meters in front of the Coronagraph satellite, covering the bright disc of the sun and casting an 8 cm shadow across onto its imager — mimicking how a total solar eclipse works on Earth. The Sun's inner corona, coloured artificially to appear dark green, in an image taken on 23 May 2025 ... More by the ASPIICS coronagraph aboard Proba-3, ESA's formation-flying mission capable of creating artificial total solar eclipses in orbit. The ASPIICS instrument captures the solar corona in two different 'spectral lines', each line corresponding to a different element contained in the coronal gases. This image shows observations in the coronal green line – a spectral line emitted by iron atoms that lost half of their electrons due to extremely high temperatures. This allows us to see the hottest contents of the corona, at up to 2 million degrees. On the upper left side, a hot loop can be seen extending from the Sun's surface into the corona, a structure which generally appears following a solar flare. Such a feat of engineering is essential to capture images of the sun's corona — the outer atmosphere of the sun. Only during a total solar eclipse can the corona be glimpsed from Earth's surface, and even then, only for a few minutes from any one location. The solar corona is a mysterious place. It reaches temperatures of over two million degrees Fahrenheit, significantly hotter than the sun's surface. Understanding this mysterious layer is essential for solar physicists because it's the origin of solar wind and space weather that can impact Earth's communications and power systems. The two spacecraft of Proba-3 fly in precise formation about 150 m apart to form an external ... More coronagraph in space, one spacecraft eclipsing the Sun to allow the second to study the otherwise invisible solar corona. The mission is based on some remarkable engineering. The Proba-3 satellites follow a highly elliptical 19.6-hour orbit ranging from 373 miles (600 km) at perigee to 37,000 miles (60,000 km) at apogee, flying in precision formation only near apogee. At apogee, they're as far away from Earth's gravitational force and atmospheric drag, enabling them to fly in formation autonomously, achieving eclipse-like conditions for six hours. The images you see here are created from three exposures and were processed by the ASPIICS Science Operations Centre at Belgium's Royal Observatory. '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," said Zhukov. '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.' The paired Proba-3 satellites will have a highly elliptical orbit with an apogee (or top of orbit) ... More of around 60 000 km and perigee of 600 km. Coronagraph observation based on forming an artificial eclipse between the two satellites as well as active formation flying experiments taking place towards apogee, with passive formation flying taking place as the satellites circle closer to Earth. ESA has an open data policy, with all uncalibrated data and images available online to scientists and eclipse enthusiasts alike. Proba-3's mission will last two years, during which approximately 1,000 hours of solar corona images will be gathered. Once it runs out of propellant, it will de-orbit and burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
European satellites succeed in creating artificial solar eclipse
June 17 (UPI) -- A European space agency created the first "artificial total solar eclipse" using a pair of satellites on Monday. 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.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Space mission creates first ever artificial solar eclipse
The European Space Agency (ESA) has revealed the first images of an artificial total eclipse created by a pair of satellites in space as part of its Proba-3 mission. In March, the two spacecraft, called the Coronagraph and the Occulter, flew 150 metres apart while perfectly aligned for several hours without being controlled from the extremely precise positions - down to a single millimetre - enabled the satellites to create a total solar eclipse in orbit. The satellites aligned with the Sun in a way that allowed the Occulter spacecraft to block the giant star's bright disc, casting a shadow across the Coronagraph's optical shadow allows the Coronagraph's instrument, which is called ASPIICS, to successfully capture images of the outermost part of the Sun's atmosphere, known as the increasingly need to study the corona, but find it hard to do so without an eclipse because the sun's surface is one million times amazing pictures are uninterrupted by the Sun's bright light."It is exciting to see these stunning images validate our technologies in what is now the world's first precision formation flying mission," said Dietmar Pilz, who is the ESA's director of technology, engineering and quality. What is the Proba-3 mission all about? The Sun's corona can reach temperatures of around 1,000,000 degrees Celsius or more. It's much hotter than the sun's surface below and this temperature difference is something that continues to both intrigue and puzzle researchers. The Proba-3 mission aims to tackle this longstanding mystery by studying the corona in more depth. The Coronagraph spacecraft's instrument ASPIICS is able to see more detail, finding fainter features than other missions. "Seeing the first data from ASPIICS is incredibly exciting," said Joe Zender who is a scientist on the Proba-3 project."ASPIICS will contribute to unravelling long-lasting questions about our home star."Rather than relying on humans, the spacecraft lined themselves up with the sun in a manner "akin to driverless cars", the space agency the spacecraft blasted off in December last year, they had enough fuel to keep going for around two five years, it is expected they will burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
