PROBA-2 sees three partial solar eclipses
Date: 13 November 2012
Copyright: ESA/PROBA-2 Consortium
The total solar eclipse of 13-14 November 2012 was only visible to ground-based observers situated in northern Australia, while ESA's Sun-watching satellite PROBA-2 enjoyed three partial eclipses from its viewpoint in space. The constant change in viewing angle of PROBA-2 as it orbits the Earth meant that the satellite passed through the Moon's shadow a total of three times during the eclipse event. This video was produced from images taken by PROBA-2's SWAP imager, which snaps the Sun in ultraviolet light to reveal stormy active regions on the solar disc.
The apparent noise in the movie results from high energy particles hitting PROBA-2's electronics as the spacecraft passes through the South Atlantic Anomaly. The dimming in the movie is an effect as part of the satellite's orbit passes through the shadow of the Earth.