Why next solar eclipse we witness could be man-made

When witnessing a solar eclipse, we often think of the moon aligning between Earth and the sun, momentarily blocking sunlight—a phenomenon known as syzygy. However, a groundbreaking mission recently launched off Earth by the European Space Agency (ESA) aims to recreate this celestial alignment artificially.

On December 5, ESA launched the Proba-3 mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India, one of the world’s most-used space launch facilities by using a rocket developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The mission’s two satellites, the Coronagraph Spacecraft (CSC) and the Occulter Spacecraft (OSC), will work together to mimic a solar eclipse, as an article by Al Jazeera laid out. By blocking the sun’s light, this experiment will enable researchers to study the sun’s corona—the outermost region of its atmosphere—under unprecedented conditions.

The OSC, equipped with a 140-centimeter-diameter disk, will cast a precise shadow onto the CSC, located 150 meters away. This alignment is made possible by advanced Precise Formation Flying (PFF) technology, which ensures the satellites maintain an exact orientation with respect to each other and the sun. The result is a controlled, artificial eclipse, granting scientists the ability to observe and study the sun’s corona “on demand.”

The Science News publication spoke to mission scientist and solar physicist Andrei Zhukov of the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Brussels, who explained that the blocking will allow researchers to readily study the middle part of the corona, the uppermost region of the sun’s atmosphere. Many scientists believe that many of the sun’s most enduring mysteries, from how the solar wind is accelerated to why the corona is so much hotter than the surface of the sun, may be found in this layer. It can reach staggering temperatures of 1–3 million degrees Celsius, vastly hotter than the sun’s surface, which averages around 5,500 degrees Celsius. Despite its low brightness, the corona plays a critical role in solar phenomena, including the solar wind—streams of charged particles that can influence Earth’s magnetic field and space weather. Understanding why the corona is so hot and how solar wind is accelerated are key questions the mission aims to address.

Observing the corona typically requires a natural solar eclipse, which is rare—any given location on Earth experiences one only every 375 years, and they last only a few minutes. Proba-3, with its 19-hour, 36-minute orbital period, will provide six hours of corona observation during each cycle, allowing for continuous, detailed study.

One of the mission’s core instruments is a coronagraph, a specialized telescope designed to block out the sun’s intense light, simulating the conditions of a total solar eclipse. This technology eliminates interference from Earth’s atmosphere, enabling clearer observations of the corona’s faint structure and activity. The corona’s significance extends beyond academic interest—it affects space weather, which can disrupt satellites, power grids, and communication systems on Earth.

ESA highlighted the mission’s potential to enhance our ability to predict extreme geomagnetic storms and better understand the sun’s behavior. The mission’s ability to replicate eclipses and observe the sun’s corona at will marks a major advancement in solar physics, bypassing the limitations of rare natural phenomena and atmospheric interference. If successful, Proba-3 will open a new chapter in our understanding of the sun and its impact on Earth.

By Nazrin Sadigova