Two European satellites from Proba-3 mission mimic total solar eclipse
A pair of European satellites have created the first artificial solar eclipse by flying in precise formation, providing hours of on-demand totality for scientists.
The European Space Agency released the eclipse pictures at the Paris Air Show on Monday.
Launched late last year, the orbiting duo have churned out simulated solar eclipses since March while zooming tens of thousands of kilometres above Earth.
Flying 150 metres apart, one satellite blocks the sun like the moon does during a natural total solar eclipse as the other aims its telescope at the corona, the sun's outer atmosphere that forms a crown or halo of light.
It's an intricate, prolonged dance requiring extreme precision by the cube-shaped spacecraft, less than 1.5 metres in size.
Their flying accuracy needs to be within a mere millimetre, the thickness of a fingernail. This meticulous positioning is achieved autonomously through GPS navigation, star trackers, lasers and radio links.
Dubbed Proba-3, the $210 million (€181 million) mission has generated 10 successful solar eclipses so far during the ongoing checkout phase.
The longest eclipse lasted five hours, said the Royal Observatory of Belgium's Andrei Zhukov, the lead scientist for the orbiting corona-observing telescope. He and his team are aiming for a six-hour totality per eclipse once scientific observations begin in July.
Scientists are already thrilled by the preliminary results that show the corona without the need for any special image processing, said Zhukov.
"We almost couldn't believe our eyes," Zhukov said in an email. "This was the first try, and it worked. It was so incredible."
Zhukov anticipates an average of two solar eclipses per week being produced for a total of nearly 200 during the two-year mission, yielding more than 1,000 hours of totality.
That will be a scientific bonanza since full solar eclipses produce just a few minutes of totality when the moon lines up perfectly between Earth and the sun, on average just once every 18 months.
The sun continues to mystify scientists, especially its corona, which is hotter than the solar surface.
Coronal mass ejections result in billions of tons of plasma and magnetic fields being hurled out into space. Geomagnetic storms can result, disrupting power and communication while lighting up the night sky with auroras in unexpected locales.
While previous satellites have generated imitation solar eclipses, including the European Space Agency and NASA's Solar Orbiter and Soho observatory, the sun-blocking disk was always on the same spacecraft as the corona-observing telescope.
What makes this mission unique, Zhukov said, is that the sun-shrouding disk and telescope are on two different satellites and therefore far apart.
The distance between these two satellites will give scientists a better look at the part of the corona closest to the limb of the sun.
"We are extremely satisfied by the quality of these images, and again this is really thanks to formation flying" with unprecedented accuracy, ESA's mission manager Damien Galano said from the Paris Air Show.
Hungary and Slovakia declined to endorse an EU text outlining how Europe will phase out its reliance on Russian natural gas and oil on Monday.
The European Commission's proposal is to ban EU Russian gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports by the end of 2027, and the executive is now expected to propose the law on Tuesday, which could still pass without the approval of the two countries.
'Europe's energy security depends on its sovereignty. We must diversify partnerships, reinforce infrastructure, invest in renewables, and complete the single energy market. The time to act is now - we keep on learning this the hard way,' Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Polish Minister for Climate and Environment told journalists.
'Hungary vetoed Council conclusions urging the European Commission to move ahead with the plan to ban Russian gas and oil. Energy policy is a national competence and this endangers our sovereignty and energy security. Given the Middle East escalation, we proposed no such plan be tabled at all,' Hungarian minister for foreign affairs Péter Szijjártó wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Polish Presidency, which will conclude its rotating leadership at the end of June, clarified that the text is not a formal 'Council conclusion' but rather an 'ambitious proposal' intended to gauge the views of member states on the proposed road map.
European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen told journalists that the EU executive will present a new legislative proposal on the topic on Tuesday, given the strong support for the proposal.
The Commission is reported to plan proposing the ban using a legal basis that could enable it to be adopted with a reinforced majority of countries and a majority of the European Parliament. A reinforced majority requires the support of 15 or more of the EU's 27 members, representing at least 65% of the EU's population.
Lars Aagaard, Danish Minister for Climate and Energy, told journalists on Monday that Danish presidency will make an effort to 'reach [political approval] as fast as possible', adding: 'If we succeed in concluding [the legislation] before New Year, I think that we have done a tremendous job."
The EU has significantly reduced its energy imports from Russia since 2021.
Russian gas imports fell from 45% in 2021 to 19% in 2024, with projections of dropping to 13% in 2025.
Crude oil imports from Russia declined from 27% in 2022 to 3% in 2024.
Despite progress, Russia still supplies gas, oil, and nuclear materials.
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Euronews
7 hours ago
- Euronews
Two European satellites from Proba-3 mission mimic total solar eclipse
A pair of European satellites have created the first artificial solar eclipse by flying in precise formation, providing hours of on-demand totality for scientists. The European Space Agency released the eclipse pictures at the Paris Air Show on Monday. Launched late last year, the orbiting duo have churned out simulated solar eclipses since March while zooming tens of thousands of kilometres above Earth. Flying 150 metres apart, one satellite blocks the sun like the moon does during a natural total solar eclipse as the other aims its telescope at the corona, the sun's outer atmosphere that forms a crown or halo of light. It's an intricate, prolonged dance requiring extreme precision by the cube-shaped spacecraft, less than 1.5 metres in size. Their flying accuracy needs to be within a mere millimetre, the thickness of a fingernail. This meticulous positioning is achieved autonomously through GPS navigation, star trackers, lasers and radio links. Dubbed Proba-3, the $210 million (€181 million) mission has generated 10 successful solar eclipses so far during the ongoing checkout phase. The longest eclipse lasted five hours, said the Royal Observatory of Belgium's Andrei Zhukov, the lead scientist for the orbiting corona-observing telescope. He and his team are aiming for a six-hour totality per eclipse once scientific observations begin in July. Scientists are already thrilled by the preliminary results that show the corona without the need for any special image processing, said Zhukov. "We almost couldn't believe our eyes," Zhukov said in an email. "This was the first try, and it worked. It was so incredible." Zhukov anticipates an average of two solar eclipses per week being produced for a total of nearly 200 during the two-year mission, yielding more than 1,000 hours of totality. That will be a scientific bonanza since full solar eclipses produce just a few minutes of totality when the moon lines up perfectly between Earth and the sun, on average just once every 18 months. The sun continues to mystify scientists, especially its corona, which is hotter than the solar surface. Coronal mass ejections result in billions of tons of plasma and magnetic fields being hurled out into space. Geomagnetic storms can result, disrupting power and communication while lighting up the night sky with auroras in unexpected locales. While previous satellites have generated imitation solar eclipses, including the European Space Agency and NASA's Solar Orbiter and Soho observatory, the sun-blocking disk was always on the same spacecraft as the corona-observing telescope. What makes this mission unique, Zhukov said, is that the sun-shrouding disk and telescope are on two different satellites and therefore far apart. The distance between these two satellites will give scientists a better look at the part of the corona closest to the limb of the sun. "We are extremely satisfied by the quality of these images, and again this is really thanks to formation flying" with unprecedented accuracy, ESA's mission manager Damien Galano said from the Paris Air Show. Hungary and Slovakia declined to endorse an EU text outlining how Europe will phase out its reliance on Russian natural gas and oil on Monday. The European Commission's proposal is to ban EU Russian gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports by the end of 2027, and the executive is now expected to propose the law on Tuesday, which could still pass without the approval of the two countries. 'Europe's energy security depends on its sovereignty. We must diversify partnerships, reinforce infrastructure, invest in renewables, and complete the single energy market. The time to act is now - we keep on learning this the hard way,' Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Polish Minister for Climate and Environment told journalists. 'Hungary vetoed Council conclusions urging the European Commission to move ahead with the plan to ban Russian gas and oil. Energy policy is a national competence and this endangers our sovereignty and energy security. Given the Middle East escalation, we proposed no such plan be tabled at all,' Hungarian minister for foreign affairs Péter Szijjártó wrote on X (formerly Twitter). The Polish Presidency, which will conclude its rotating leadership at the end of June, clarified that the text is not a formal 'Council conclusion' but rather an 'ambitious proposal' intended to gauge the views of member states on the proposed road map. European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen told journalists that the EU executive will present a new legislative proposal on the topic on Tuesday, given the strong support for the proposal. The Commission is reported to plan proposing the ban using a legal basis that could enable it to be adopted with a reinforced majority of countries and a majority of the European Parliament. A reinforced majority requires the support of 15 or more of the EU's 27 members, representing at least 65% of the EU's population. Lars Aagaard, Danish Minister for Climate and Energy, told journalists on Monday that Danish presidency will make an effort to 'reach [political approval] as fast as possible', adding: 'If we succeed in concluding [the legislation] before New Year, I think that we have done a tremendous job." The EU has significantly reduced its energy imports from Russia since 2021. Russian gas imports fell from 45% in 2021 to 19% in 2024, with projections of dropping to 13% in 2025. Crude oil imports from Russia declined from 27% in 2022 to 3% in 2024. Despite progress, Russia still supplies gas, oil, and nuclear materials.
Euronews
11 hours ago
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Old smartphones turned into ‘tiny data centres' to track marine life
Old phones could have a new chapter as tiny data centres, a new line of research has found. Each year, more than 1.2 billion smartphones are produced globally. Despite the expense to consumers and the environmental toll of producing them, our devices have an increasingly short lifespan as people tend to replace them every two to three years. But rather than gathering dust in a drawer - or adding to the world's mountain of electronic waste - discarded smartphones could be reconfigured for a range of useful green applications. 'Innovation often begins not with something new, but with a new way of thinking about the old, re-imagining its role in shaping the future,' says Huber Flores, Associate Professor of Pervasive Computing at the University of Tartu in Estonia. He is one of several European researchers behind the new study published in the IEEE Pervasive Computing journal. Turning outdated smartphones into micro data centres is surprisingly cheap, if you know how. The researchers found that it only costs around €8 to bypass a phone's hardware features and reprogramme it. Firstly, the researchers removed the phones' batteries and replaced them with external power sources to reduce the risk of chemical leakage into the environment, a ScienceDaily report explains. Then, four phones were connected together, fitted with 3D-printed casings and holders, and turned into a working prototype ready to be reused. The prototype created by researchers was put to use underwater, where it participated in the monitoring of marine life by helping to count different sea species. Normally, these kinds of tasks require a scuba diver to record video and bring it to the surface for analysis. The prototype meant the whole process could be done automatically underwater. And there are many other ways that a phone's capacity to efficiently process and store data can be put to good use after its WhatsApping days are done. These mini data centres could also be used at bus stops, for example, to collect real-time data on the number of passengers. This could help to optimise public transportation networks. Such smartphone repurposing is just a drop in the ocean of issues that natural resource mining, energy-intensive production and e-waste present. Ultimately, we need to challenge this throwaway culture and move to a more circular model. But the research shows one small way to satisfy demand for computing power with what we've already got. 'Sustainability is not just about preserving the future,' says Ulrich Norbisrath, Associate Professor of Software Engineering at the University of Tartu. 'It's about reimagining the present, where yesterday's devices become tomorrow's opportunities.'
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'Earth's Core Is Acting Up': NASA Links Planet-Wide Disturbance to Mysterious Energy Surge Emerging From Deep Within the Mantle
IN A NUTSHELL 🌍 The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) is a region of weakened magnetic field over South America, posing risks to space technology. is a region of weakened magnetic field over South America, posing risks to space technology. 🛰️ Satellites passing through the SAA face exposure to high-energy particles, leading to potential single event upsets and system malfunctions. and system malfunctions. 🔄 The anomaly is dynamically changing , drifting northwest and splitting into two lobes, increasing hazards for spacecraft. , drifting northwest and splitting into two lobes, increasing hazards for spacecraft. 🔬 NASA uses satellite data and core simulations to model the magnetic field's evolution and improve mission planning. The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) has become a focal point of scientific intrigue and concern. This vast region of weakened magnetic field over South America and the South Atlantic Ocean presents a unique challenge for NASA and the global scientific community. Originating from complex processes within Earth's core, the SAA is not only a fascinating natural phenomenon but also a critical area of study due to its potential impact on space technologies. As the anomaly evolves, it becomes imperative to understand its mechanisms and anticipate the challenges it presents to our technological infrastructure. Deep Origins and Complex Mechanisms At the heart of NASA's concerns lies the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), a geomagnetic phenomenon both captivating and concerning. This immense region is characterized by a significant reduction in magnetic intensity compared to its surroundings. Far from being a mere scientific curiosity, this weakness acts as a breach in our natural protective shield, allowing high-energy solar particles to dangerously approach Earth's surface. The origins of the SAA are intricately linked to the geodynamo, a complex process occurring in Earth's outer core. Here, the movement of molten iron and nickel generates the magnetic field that envelops us. However, this generation is not uniform. Two primary factors contribute to the formation of the SAA: the tilt of Earth's magnetic axis relative to its rotational axis and the influence of a massive dense structure known as the African Large Low Shear Velocity Province, located about 1,800 miles beneath the African continent. These factors disrupt the magnetic field generation in this region, leading to a local polarity reversal within Earth's magnetic field, further weakening the dipole field intensity in this specific area. 'Nasa Confirms the Unthinkable': China's Giant Water Diversion Project Will Slow Earth's Rotation and Disrupt Global Timekeeping A Threat to Space Technology This magnetic vulnerability poses significant risks to space technology. Satellites traversing the SAA are exposed to high levels of energetic protons, which can cause single event upsets (SEUs). These incidents can lead to temporary malfunctions, data corruption, or even permanent damage if critical systems are affected. To mitigate these risks, many satellite operators take preventive measures, such as shutting down non-essential systems when passing through the anomaly. Even the International Space Station (ISS) crosses the SAA on each orbit. While its shielding effectively protects astronauts, external instruments remain more vulnerable. Bryan Blair, deputy principal investigator for the GEDI instrument on the ISS, reports occasional 'glitches' and resets, resulting in a few hours of data loss each month. Other missions, like the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON), also closely monitor the SAA and adjust their operations accordingly. 'NASA Sounds the Alarm': Massive Planetary Anomaly Detected Spreading Worldwide, Traced to Unknown Forces Beneath Earth's Crust Dynamic Evolution and Challenges The South Atlantic Anomaly is far from static. Recent data, particularly from the ESA's Swarm constellation and historical measurements from NASA's SAMPEX mission, confirm several alarming trends. The anomaly is slowly drifting northwest, expanding in surface area, and, as observed since 2020, beginning to split into two distinct lobes, creating two centers of minimum magnetic intensity. This bifurcation increases the number of hazardous zones for spacecraft and complicates the task of scientists developing predictive models of geomagnetic conditions. Understanding the changing morphology of the SAA is crucial for the safety of current and future satellites. As Terry Sabaka of NASA emphasizes, these developments necessitate continuous monitoring and adaptation in satellite operations to mitigate potential disruptions. 'Space Needs Nuclear Now': This New Global Race to Harness Atomic Power Beyond Earth Is Accelerating Faster Than Expected Anticipating the Invisible To refine their understanding and predictions, NASA combines satellite data with simulations of Earth's core dynamics. These inputs feed global models like the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF), which track the evolution of Earth's magnetic field. These models are essential not only for planning space missions but also for gaining a better grasp of our planet's internal structure. The approach resembles weather forecasting but on much longer timescales, allowing scientists to estimate the secular variation—the slow yet persistent changes in the magnetic field over years and decades. While the current evolution of the SAA is unprecedented in the space era, geological records suggest that such anomalies are not exceptional over long timescales. It is important to note that, according to scientists, the current SAA is not an early indicator of a magnetic pole reversal, a natural but rare phenomenon occurring over hundreds of thousands of years. Thus, studying the SAA remains a vital research area, crucial for protecting our orbiting technologies and deepening our understanding of the profound forces driving our planet. As the South Atlantic Anomaly continues to evolve, the scientific community remains vigilant in its efforts to understand and mitigate its impact. With its potential to disrupt satellite operations and influence our understanding of Earth's magnetic field, the SAA poses intriguing questions about the future of our planet's magnetic dynamics. How will these changes shape our technological and scientific pursuits in the years to come? Our author used artificial intelligence to enhance this article. Did you like it? 4.5/5 (22)
