The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched two satellites on a mission to study the Sun’s corona, a region of the Sun’s outer atmosphere that is notoriously difficult to observe. The satellites, part of the ESA’s Solar Obstruction Mission (SOM), will use a novel technique to create an artificial solar eclipse, allowing scientists to study the Sun’s corona in unprecedented detail.
The SOM mission is a response to the long-standing challenge of observing the Sun’s corona, which is the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere. The corona is a region of extremely high temperatures, exceeding millions of degrees Celsius, and is the source of solar flares and coronal mass ejections that can affect Earth’s magnetic field and cause disruptions to our technological systems.
The problem with observing the corona is that it is much fainter than the Sun’s surface, making it difficult to distinguish from the bright light emitted by the Sun. Traditional methods of observing the corona, such as using coronagraphs, have limitations and can only provide partial views of the corona.
The SOM mission aims to overcome these limitations by using a novel technique called solar obstruction. The two satellites, SOM-1 and SOM-2, will be positioned in a way that creates an artificial solar eclipse, temporarily blocking the light from the Sun’s surface and allowing scientists to observe the corona in unprecedented detail.
The SOM-1 satellite will be positioned between the Earth and the Sun, while the SOM-2 satellite will be positioned on the opposite side of the Sun. The SOM-1 satellite will use a large occulting disk to block the light from the Sun’s surface, creating an artificial solar eclipse. The SOM-2 satellite will then observe the corona from the opposite side of the Sun, using a combination of cameras and spectrographs to capture high-resolution images and spectra of the corona.
The SOM mission will provide scientists with a wealth of new information about the Sun’s corona, including its temperature, density, and composition. The mission will also allow scientists to study the dynamics of the corona, including the formation of solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
The SOM mission is a collaboration between the ESA and several European universities and research institutions. The mission is scheduled to last for two years, during which time the satellites will perform a series of observations of the Sun’s corona.
The launch of the SOM satellites marks a major milestone in the study of the Sun’s corona, and is expected to make significant contributions to our understanding of the Sun’s outer atmosphere. The mission is also expected to have important implications for the study of solar physics and the prediction of space weather events.
The SOM mission is just one of several missions planned by the ESA to study the Sun and its effects on the Earth. Other missions, such as the Solar Orbiter and the EUV Imaging Telescope, will provide further insights into the Sun’s behavior and its impact on our planet.
In conclusion, the SOM mission is a groundbreaking effort to study the Sun’s corona, a region of the Sun’s outer atmosphere that is crucial to our understanding of solar physics and space weather. The mission’s novel technique of solar obstruction will allow scientists to observe the corona in unprecedented detail, providing a wealth of new information about this enigmatic region of the Sun.
