The European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission has successfully simulated an artificial solar eclipse using two satellites, allowing for unprecedented views of the Sun's corona, which is usually only observable during natural total solar eclipses. Launched from India, the satellites, Occulter and Coronagraph, use advanced EU technologies developed in collaboration with over 40 companies, including startups focused on sensors and flight path management. The mission promises to enhance understanding of the corona's extreme temperatures and its impact on solar activity, including solar storms that affect Earth.
"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..."
"The Sun's corona is the outermost part of its atmosphere. Surprisingly, it's far hotter than our star's surface, sometimes reaching up to 2 million °C..."
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