Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing for an artificial solar eclipse. The goal is to study the sun's corona more closely.
ESA will use two space probes to create an artificial solar eclipse. The two satellites will fly side by side with a distance of 150 meters from each other.
One of the satellites will block sunlight so a second satellite can observe the sun's corona with its named instrument coronagraph.
The two vehicles will traverse a very specific path with trajectory accuracy down to the millimeter level. Guiding them on their journey are navigation devices, radio communication systems, cameras and lasers.
ESA Technology Director Dietmar Pliz explained that the two satellites will function like an instrument 150 meters long. In each second revolution, which lasts 19 hours 36 minutes, ESA will create a “solar eclipse” for 6 hours.
The Verge explained that research on the Sun's corona is very important for “weather forecasting” of the Solar System. The corona is a spot that is much hotter than the surface of the Sun.
Various solar events that impact the atmosphere and communications systems and electricity on Earth, such as the solar wind, are produced by the corona.
Apart from that, ESA explained that the space mission, named Proba-3, aims to measure the total energy produced by the Sun as a basis for preparing models of the climate system on Earth.
Before Proba-3, researchers had already installed it coronagraph on the surface of the Earth and in outer space. However, the device has limitations because sunlight tends to be scattered so that it radiates “through” the device used to block it.
ESA plans to launch Proba-3 in September.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
Next Article
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse March 25 Starting at 11.50 WIB, Check Complete Locations!
(dem/dem)