Context:
Aditya-L1 has recently made a ground-breaking observation as the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) payload has captured the first-ever image of a solar flare ‘kernel’ in the lower solar atmosphere.
More on the news:
- The SUIT payload onboard Aditya-L1 observed an X6.3-class solar flare, one of the most intense categories of solar eruptions.
- The unique feature of this observation was that SUIT detected brightening in the Near Ultra Violet (NUV) wavelength range (200-400 nm), a wavelength range never observed before in such greater detail.
- A significant discovery is that the brightening in the lower solar atmosphere (photosphere and chromosphere) is directly linked to a rise in plasma temperature in the solar corona at the top of the atmosphere.
What is a Solar Flare?
- A solar flare is a sudden and intense burst of solar energy from the Solar atmosphere.
- The phenomena is caused by the Sun’s magnetic field.
- The magnetic field of the Sun is very dynamic in nature.
- Sometimes, they suddenly snap and release intense bursts of energy – like a powerful, short flash.
- The energy is released in the form of light/radiation and high-energy charged particles.
- The atmosphere of the Earth blocks these harmful radiations from the Sun to reach to the ground.
- But if a solar flare is very intense, the radiation it releases can interfere with radio communications on Earth.
How does Aditya-L1 study the Solar flares?
- During solar flares (as well as before the occurrence of solar flares), that particular region of the Sun generating flare becomes brighter in UV and X-ray.
- Aditya-L1 instruments such as SUIT, SoLEXS and HEL1OS can study these brightening and associated flash of radiation in greater detail.
- This provides a detailed picture of various phenomena related to Solar flares.
About Aditya L1 Mission:
The Aditya-L1 mission was launched on September 2, 2023, by the ISRO PSLV C-57 rocket. On January 6, 2024, the spacecraft was successfully placed in a large halo orbit around the first Earth-Sun Lagrange Point, known as Lagrange Point L1.
The L1 point is 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth towards the Sun. The special vantage point L1 allows the spacecraft to continuously observe various solar activities without any eclipse and occultations.
The following are its advanced instruments: –
- The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT)
- Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS)
- High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS)
These work together to detect and analyse solar flares from Near Ultra-violet (NUV) wavelength to soft and hard X-rays.