European satellites launched in demo to create artificial solar eclipses

A pair of probes creating an artificial total solar eclipse (European Space Agency/AP)

Two European satellites have rocketed into orbit on a mission to create artificial solar eclipses through formation flying in space.

Each fake eclipse should last six hours once operations begin next year, which is considerably longer than the few minutes of totality offered by a natural eclipse on Earth, and will allow for prolonged study of the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere.