YouTube - Partial eclipse of the Sun seen by Proba-2

Astronomers gathered among the stone-carved heads of Easter Island on Sunday to witness a total eclipse of the Sun. Meanwhile, 720 km away in space, ESA’s Proba-2 was focused on the same target.

The microsatellite’s orbit fell outside the path of totality, so only a partial eclipse was seen – but it was still a valuable scientific opportunity.

This eclipse was actually Proba-2’s second. The first occurred on 15 January, while it was being commissioned. This time around, the satellite, equipped with a quartet of scientific instruments focused on the Sun and space weather, was fully operational.