India to launch Europe’s Proba-3 set to create artificial eclipse

The European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission is set to launch on India's PSLV in September. The innovative mission involves two small satellites, a Coronagraph and an Occulter, flying in tight formation about 150 meters apart. The Occulter will cast its shadow onto the Coronagraph, creating an artificial eclipse, allowing the observation of the Sun's faint corona in visible, ultraviolet, and polarized light for extended periods. The mission aims to provide new insights into coronal mass ejections and measure solar irradiance, potentially influencing our understanding of Earth's climate. Via Times of India https://ift.tt/1Gcaosf