Are You Ready For Man-Made Solar Eclipse

[Canary42]

This scientific experiment has rather sinister undertones.  An extended eclipse of the sun induced by man.

I first found out about it in my newspaper but I've managed to find a link for the disbelievers.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/12/05/esa-launches-double-satellite-mission-that-aims-to-create-man-made-solar-eclipses#:~:text=A%20pair%20of%20European%20satellites,once%20operations%20begin%20next%20year          

.    .    .   

[douglas9401]

Word is it's an attempt to recreate the Black Hole Of Calcutta.

[THECORBYLOON]

It won't cast a eclipse on the Earth.

"Each cube-shaped spacecraft is less than 1.5 m across. The shadow-casting satellite holds a disk to block the sun from the telescope on the other satellite.

This disk will mimic the Moon in a natural total solar eclipse, with the darkened satellite posing as Earth."

[Canary42]

Ooops, my bad.   As Corby says, the one satellite will eclipse the other.  Boy, am I relieved.

[THECORBYLOON]

That should be, "It won't cast a shadow on the Earth like an eclipse"

[douglas9401]

This may be Babble-onian science. Who knew Yahoo could be beaten for dross?

[THECORBYLOON]

I'm not sure why they cannot just cover all but a wee bit of the lens/detector so that would block the sun but allow the corona to be viewed/detected still.

[douglas9401]

Maybe the lab's run by a mate of Matt Hancock.

[bookbinder]

Well, I don't like the look of it. It's too much like tampering with nature.

[Buenchico]

Primary sources are always best:
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Proba_Missions/Proba-3_Mission3

[wolf63]

To be honest, as a fan of Stargate Atlantis, news like this is not at all exciting.

In the Stargate franchise humans travel to other planets and galaxies, travelling through fixed wormholes. Not only that but the gates on the wormholes are programmed so that everyone speaks English.

😂

[Ellipsis]

I don't know ... I think that if there were aliens with interstellar capabilities, they'd probably come to see a total solar eclipse on the  Earth. It must be quite unusual across the Milky Way to find the relationship between the diameters and distances of the moon and sun were ideal to create an eclipse with a perfect corona, naturally.