By Dean Murray via SWNS
A spaceship that will block out the Sun is being launched Dec. 4.
European Space Agency's eclipse-making precise formation-flying mission Proba-3 is scheduled for launch on a PSLV-XL rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.
#bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 #bwg_mosaic_thumbnails_div_0 { width: 100%; position: relative; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00); text-align: center; justify-content: center; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 2px; padding-top: 2px; } #bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 .bwg_mosaic_thumb_spun_0 { display: block; position: absolute; border-radius: 0; border: 0px none #CCCCCC; background-color:rgba(0,0,0, 0.30); -moz-box-sizing: content-box !important; -webkit-box-sizing: content-box !important; box-sizing: content-box !important; } #bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 .bwg_mosaic_thumb_0 { display: block; -moz-box-sizing: content-box !important; -webkit-box-sizing: content-box !important; box-sizing: content-box !important; margin: 0; opacity: 1.00; } #bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 .bwg_mosaic_thumb_spun_0:hover { opacity: 1; backface-visibility: hidden; -webkit-backface-visibility: hidden; -moz-backface-visibility: hidden; -ms-backface-visibility: hidden; z-index: 102; } @media only screen and (min-width: 480px) { #bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 .bwg-container-0.bwg-mosaic-thumbnails .bwg-item0 img { -webkit-transition: -webkit-transform .3s; transition: transform .3s; } #bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 .bwg-container-0.bwg-mosaic-thumbnails .bwg-item0 img:hover { -ms-transform: scale(1.08); -webkit-transform: scale(1.08); transform: scale(1.08); } } #bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 .bwg_mosaic_thumbnails_0 { background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00); font-size: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; display: inline-block; visibility: hidden; } /*image title styles*/ #bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 .bwg_mosaic_title_spun1_0, #bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 .bwg-mosaic-thumbnails .bwg_ecommerce_spun1_0 { position: absolute; display: block; opacity: 0; box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center; top: 50%; left: 50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%); } #bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 .bwg-mosaic-thumbnails .bwg_mosaic_title_spun2_0, #bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 .bwg-mosaic-thumbnails .bwg_ecommerce_spun2_0 { color: #323A45; font-family: Ubuntu; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-shadow: ; vertical-align: middle; word-wrap: break-word; } .bwg_mosaic_play_icon_spun_0 { display: table; position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; opacity: 0; } .bwg_mosaic_play_icon_0 { color: #323A45; font-size: 32px; vertical-align: middle; display: table-cell !important; z-index: 1; text-align: center; margin: 0 auto; } #bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 .bwg_gal_title_0 { background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #323A45; display: block; font-family: Ubuntu; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px; text-shadow: ; text-align: center; } @media screen and (max-width: 350px) { div[class^="bwg_mosaic_thumbnails_"], span[class^="bwg_mosaic_thumb_spun_"] { width: 100% !important; } img[class^="bwg_mosaic_thumb_"] { width: 100% !important; height: auto !important; margin: 0px auto !important; } }
#bwg_container1_0 #bwg_container2_0 #spider_popup_overlay_0 { background-color: #EEEEEE; opacity: 0.60; }
By blocking out the fiery disc of the Sun, Proba-3's 'Occulter' spacecraft will mimic a terrestrial total solar eclipse, to open up views of the Sun's faint surrounding atmosphere, or 'corona', which is a million times fainter than its parent star.
Proba-3's second 'Coronagraph' spacecraft hosts the optical instrument that will observe the solar corona.
On Earth, total solar eclipses only occur every 18 months on average, and last just for a few minutes. Solar scientists have to travel all over the world to take advantage of them.
Proba-3 will be able to create solar eclipses on demand, observing closer to the edge of the Sun than any previous Earth- or space-based instrument, down to just 1.1 solar radii. And it will do so for six hours per 19-hour 36-minute orbit.
FOX41 Yakima©FOX11 TriCities©