Our eyes on the inner corona

Until now, space-based instruments were only able to reliably image the solar disc and the outer region of the corona, and the full corona could only be observed from Earth during the short periods of total eclipses. Although they are not entirely impossible to make, any observations of the inner coronal region so far have been infrequent or inconsistent, leaving us with an observation gap.

“Thanks to a set of onboard positioning technologies that allow the Proba-3 duo to create a solar eclipse in orbit, the mission is delivering on its promise to fill this gap,” explains Proba-3 mission manager Damien Galano.

In this largely unexplored region of the solar corona, the solar wind gains speed before streaming out into the Solar System, eventually reaching both our spacecraft and Earth. It is also here that most coronal mass ejections (CMEs) originate. By capturing detailed images, Proba-3 is enabling scientists to advance their understanding of how the solar wind accelerates and how CMEs are triggered.