ESA Solar Eclipses: Space Shadows Explained
- for centuries, astronomers have relied on rare solar eclipses for a glimpse of the Sun's corona.Now, the European space Agency (ESA) is engineering its own.
- The ESA's Proba-3 mission features two satellites working in tandem to manufacture solar eclipses in space.
- 5, 2024, by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, the Proba-3 mission uses a PSLV-C59 rocket to achieve its...
ESA’s Proba-3 Mission Creates Artificial Solar Eclipses on Demand
Updated June 19, 2025
for centuries, astronomers have relied on rare solar eclipses for a glimpse of the Sun’s corona.Now, the European space Agency (ESA) is engineering its own.
The ESA’s Proba-3 mission features two satellites working in tandem to manufacture solar eclipses in space. This innovative approach is transforming solar observation, allowing scientists unprecedented access to the Sun’s outer layers.
Launched Dec. 5, 2024, by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, the Proba-3 mission uses a PSLV-C59 rocket to achieve its unique objective.
One satellite, known as the Occulter, blocks sunlight with a 1.4-meter disk. The other, the Coronagraph, trails 150 meters behind, capturing images of the Sun’s corona, a region normally obscured by the Sun’s intense brightness.This precise alignment creates an artificial eclipse lasting up to six hours, multiple times per week.
