Two satellites just carefully lined up to form a perfect "artificial total solar eclipse" in orbit. Earlier this year, the two probes, which are part of the European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission, positioned themselves in a perfect line 492 feet apart — accurate down to a single millimeter — to have one of them perfectly obfuscate the Sun's rays.

The Sun’s outer atmosphere—the corona—only reveals itself during total solar eclipses, which happen about every 18 months on Earth, and are only visible along a narrow path. These events offer scientists a rare opportunity to observe the Sun’s violent surface—but now, they won’t have to wait on the cosmos to do so.

Incredible images show the first artificial solar eclipse in orbit. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission involves two satellites flying in precise formation, with one spacecraft positioned 150 metres ahead of the other.