European satellites to create artificial solar eclipse for sun observation

digitaltrends.com

A European space mission, Proba-3, is set to launch on December 4 from India. The mission involves two spacecraft that will create an artificial solar eclipse to study the sun's corona, overcoming the challenge of the sun's brightness. One spacecraft will block sunlight while the other observes the corona, maintaining a precise distance of about 130 meters. This formation flying is unique, as previous missions operated at much greater distances. Proba-3 will orbit in an oval path, ranging from 370 miles to 37,000 miles above Earth. The mission aims to test new observation methods over its two-year duration, using advanced positioning technologies for alignment.


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