European Satellites Create Artificial Solar Eclipses for Science

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — In a groundbreaking achievement, a pair of European satellites have successfully generated the first artificial solar eclipses, enabling scientists to study the sun's corona in unprecedented detail. The European Space Agency (ESA) unveiled this remarkable feat at the Paris Air Show, showcasing images of the artificial eclipses captured by the satellites since their launch late last year.

The mission, known as Proba-3, involves two miniaturized satellites flying approximately 492 feet (150 meters) apart in a carefully orchestrated formation. One satellite acts as a shield, mimicking the moon's role during a natural solar eclipse, while the other focuses on the sun's corona, the outer layer of its atmosphere that emits a halo of light. This intricate maneuvering requires exceptional precision, with the satellites needing to maintain alignment within a millimeter — roughly the thickness of a fingernail.

According to the lead scientist Andrei Zhukov from the Royal Observatory of Belgium, the satellites have successfully produced ten artificial eclipses since March 2025. The longest eclipse recorded thus far lasted five hours, but Zhukov anticipates that future observations could extend to six hours of totality once the scientific phase of the mission begins.

Zhukov expressed his excitement over the preliminary results, noting that they had captured high-quality images of the corona without the need for complex image processing. “We almost couldn’t believe our eyes,” he stated in an email. “This was the first try, and it worked. It was so incredible.” The Proba-3 mission is expected to yield nearly 200 solar eclipses over its two-year operational period, providing scientists with over 1,000 hours of totality to study phenomena such as coronal mass ejections, which can disrupt power and communication on Earth.

The significance of this mission lies not only in the volume of data being generated but also in the unique configuration of the satellites. Unlike previous missions, where the sun-blocking disk and the observation instruments were housed on the same spacecraft, Proba-3 allows for a spatial separation that enhances the quality of observations near the sun's limb. This separation enables a clearer view of the corona, contributing to a deeper understanding of solar activity.

ESA's mission manager, Damien Galano, emphasized the success of formation flying in achieving this unprecedented accuracy. “We are extremely satisfied by the quality of these images, and again this is really thanks to formation flying,” he remarked from the Paris Air Show.

As the mission progresses, researchers hope to correlate the findings from the artificial eclipses with solar activity, further unraveling the mysteries surrounding the sun's behavior. The potential insights gained from Proba-3 could enhance our understanding of solar dynamics and their impact on space weather, which has far-reaching implications for satellite operations and communications on Earth.

In summary, the Proba-3 mission represents a significant leap forward in solar research, combining advanced satellite technology with innovative scientific exploration. The artificial solar eclipses generated by this pair of satellites not only provide a wealth of data but also pave the way for future advancements in our understanding of the cosmos.