This shows the spacecraft formation at several times over the one year period. (The figure is not to scale; the separation of the spacecraft will be about 1/30 the Earth-Sun distance.) Each spacecraft will be in an individual Earth-like orbit around the Sun. The orbit of one of the spacecraft is highlighted. The orbits of the three spacecraft have a relationship between inclination and eccentricity that inclines the plane of the formation by 60° with respect to the ecliptic. The nodal longitudes of the three orbits are shifted by 120° to create the triangle. As seen from the Sun, the triangle appears to rotate in retrograde fashion through the year.