MESOM to offer exceptional insights into Sun’s atmosphere
Scientists are working on the launch of MESOM, a spacecraft mission which will allow them to observe the Sun’s atmosphere unprecedented detail.
The proposed MESOM (Moon-Enabled Solar Occultation Mission) will enable an international team of researchers to study the conditions that create solar storms, leading to improvements in forecasts of space weather on Earth.
The MESOM spacecraft will fly on a trajectory enabled by the gravitational attraction of the Earth, the Sun and the Moon, and will use the shadow of the Moon to re-create a total solar eclipse in space once every lunar month lasting almost 50 minutes.
Total solar eclipses seen from Earth last between 10 seconds and 7.5 minutes, with the annular solar eclipse in the Southern Hemisphere on October 2, 2024, expected to last around seven minutes.
Creating a longer eclipse in space will enable the MESOM team to take high-quality images and measurements of the Sun’s corona, filling gaps in existing understanding of the physical processes taking place in the solar atmosphere that lead to space weather.
Solar flares and eruptions from the Sun - coronal mass ejections - can cause severe disruption to power grids, satellites and other communication technologies.
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