Latest news with #RoyalObservatory
Yahoo
2 days 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
3 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.
Sky News
3 days ago
- Science
- Sky News
Artificial solar eclipse created by 'driverless' spacecraft in world first
Two "driverless" spacecraft have flown in perfect formation to create a small artificial solar eclipse and "achieve what no other mission has before", the European Space Agency (ESA) has said. The synchronised flight orbiting Earth allowed one of the satellites to cast an 8cm-wide shadow onto its sister craft, flying 150 metres away, by blocking its view from space of the sun's surface. The technique helped the space agency to capture detailed images of the sun's fiery outer atmosphere, called the corona. Scientists 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 brighter. Solar wind, the flow of matter from the sun to outer space, and coronal mass ejections, the eruptions of plasma from the sun, can both interfere with modern technology like satellites – as well as cause displays of the Northern and Southern Lights. It is hoped that studying the corona more closely will help scientists better understand solar weather, as well as answer questions about the sun itself. The images from the Proba-3 mission were taken in March but have only been released by the space agency this week. "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," said Andrei Zhukov from the Royal Observatory of Belgium. "On top of that, natural total eclipses only last a few minutes, while Proba-3 can hold its artificial eclipse for up to six hours." The two satellites are able to align with the sun so that the 1.4-metre disc carried by one of the spacecraft, the Occulter, covers the bright disc of the sun and casts a shadow. The other spacecraft, the Coronagraph, then takes a series of photographs with different exposure times. The satellites flew within 150 metres of each other, with a precision "equal to the thickness of the average fingernail", according to the ESA. Rather than relying on human drivers, who would have an "uncomfortable" delay of a fifth of a second while steering, the spacecraft autonomously lined themselves up with the sun in a manner "akin to driverless cars", the space agency said. When the spacecraft blasted off in December last year, they had enough fuel to keep going for around two years. After five years, it is expected they will burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
A look at the first artificial solar eclipses created by two European satellites
This image provided by the European Space Agency shows the Sun's corona captured by the Proba-3 pair of spacecraft on May 23, 2025, in the visible light spectrum, with the hair-like structures revealed using a specialized image processing algorithm. (ESA/Proba-3/ASPIICS/WOW algorithm via AP) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A pair of European satellites have created the first artificial solar eclipses by flying in precise and fancy formation, providing hours of on-demand totality for scientists. The European Space Agency released the eclipse pictures at the Paris Air Show on Monday. Launched late last year, the orbiting duo have churned out simulated solar eclipses since March while zooming tens of thousands of miles (kilometres) above Earth. Flying 492 feet (150 metres) apart, one satellite blocks the sun like the moon does during a natural total solar eclipse as the other aims its telescope at the corona, the sun's outer atmosphere that forms a crown or halo of light. It's an intricate, prolonged dance requiring extreme precision by the cube-shaped spacecraft, less than 5 feet (1.5 metres) in size. Their flying accuracy needs to be within a mere millimeter, the thickness of a fingernail. This meticulous positioning is achieved autonomously through GPS navigation, star trackers, lasers and radio links. Dubbed Proba-3, the US$210 million mission has generated 10 successful solar eclipses so far during the ongoing checkout phase. The longest eclipse lasted five hours, said the Royal Observatory of Belgium's Andrei Zhukov, the lead scientist for the orbiting corona-observing telescope. He and his team are aiming for a wondrous six hours of totality per eclipse once scientific observations begin in July. This image provided by the European Space Agency depicts the two spacecraft of the Proba-3 mission aligning to create an eclipse to capture a coronagraph in space. (P. Carril/ESA via AP) This image provided by the European Space Agency depicts the two spacecraft of the Proba-3 mission aligning to create an eclipse to capture a coronagraph in space. (P. Carril/ESA via AP) Scientists already are thrilled by the preliminary results that show the corona without the need for any special image processing, said Zhukov. 'We almost couldn't believe our eyes,' Zhukov said in an email. 'This was the first try, and it worked. It was so incredible.' Zhukov anticipates an average of two solar eclipses per week being produced for a total of nearly 200 during the two-year mission, yielding more than 1,000 hours of totality. That will be a scientific bonanza since full solar eclipses produce just a few minutes of totality when the moon lines up perfectly between Earth and the sun - on average just once every 18 months. The sun continues to mystify scientists, especially its corona, which is hotter than the solar surface. Coronal mass ejections result in billions of tons of plasma and magnetic fields being hurled out into space. Geomagnetic storms can result, disrupting power and communication while lighting up the night sky with auroras in unexpected locales. While previous satellites have generated imitation solar eclipses - including the European Space Agency and NASA's Solar Orbiter and Soho observatory - the sun-blocking disk was always on the same spacecraft as the corona-observing telescope. What makes this mission unique, Zhukov said, is that the sun-shrouding disk and telescope are on two different satellites and therefore far apart. The distance between these two satellites will give scientists a better look at the part of the corona closest to the limb of the sun. 'We are extremely satisfied by the quality of these images, and again this is really thanks to formation flying' with unprecedented accuracy, ESA's mission manager Damien Galano said from the Paris Air Show. Article by Marcia Dunn. AP journalist John Leicester contributed to this report from Paris.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
How two satellites are mimicking total solar eclipses in space
A pair of European satellites have created the first artificial solar eclipses by flying in precise and fancy formation, providing hours of on-demand totality for scientists. The European Space Agency released the eclipse pictures at the Paris Air Show on Monday. Launched late last year, the orbiting duo have churned out simulated solar eclipses since March while zooming tens of thousands of miles (kilometers) above Earth. Flying 492 feet (150 meters) apart, one satellite blocks the sun like the moon does during a natural total solar eclipse as the other aims its telescope at the corona, the sun's outer atmosphere that forms a crown or halo of light. It's an intricate, prolonged dance requiring extreme precision by the cube-shaped spacecraft, less than 5 feet (1.5 meters) in size. Their flying accuracy needs to be within a mere millimeter, the thickness of a fingernail. This meticulous positioning is achieved autonomously through GPS navigation, star trackers, lasers and radio links. Dubbed Proba-3, the $210 million mission has generated 10 successful solar eclipses so far during the ongoing checkout phase. The longest eclipse lasted five hours, said the Royal Observatory of Belgium's Andrei Zhukov, the lead scientist for the orbiting corona-observing telescope. He and his team are aiming for a wondrous six hours of totality per eclipse once scientific observations begin. Scientists already are thrilled by the preliminary results that show the corona without the need for any special image processing, said Zhukov. "We almost couldn't believe our eyes,' Zhukov said in an email. 'This was the first try, and it worked. It was so incredible.' Zhukov anticipates an average of two solar eclipses per week being produced for a total of nearly 200 during the two-year mission, yielding more than 1,000 hours of totality. That will be a scientific bonanza since full solar eclipses produce just a few minutes of totality when the moon lines up perfectly between Earth and the sun — on average just once every 18 months. The sun continues to mystify scientists, especially its corona, which is hotter than the solar surface. Coronal mass ejections result in billions of tons of plasma and magnetic fields being hurled out into space. Geomagnetic storms can result, disrupting power and communication while lighting up the night sky with auroras in unexpected locales. While previous satellites have generated imitation solar eclipses — including the European Space Agency and NASA's Solar Orbiter and Soho observatory — the sun-blocking disk was always on the same spacecraft as the corona-observing telescope. What makes this mission unique, Zhukov said, is that the sun-shrouding disk and telescope are on two different satellites and therefore far apart. The distance between these two satellites will give scientists a better look at the part of the corona closest to the limb of the sun. "We are extremely satisfied by the quality of these images, and again this is really thanks to formation flying' with unprecedented accuracy, ESA's mission manager Damien Galano said from the Paris Air Show. ___ AP journalist John Leicester contributed to this report from Paris. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
