In a groundbreaking achievement, the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) aboard the Aditya L1 spacecraft has successfully captured the first full-disk images of the Sun in the 200–400 nm wavelength range. These historic images, powered by the SUIT payload, offer scientists a comprehensive view of the Sun’s photosphere and chromosphere, providing invaluable insights into solar activity.
The SUIT instrument, under the guidance of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, achieved this milestone after a successful pre-commissioning phase. The telescope, powered on November 20, 2023, produced its first light science images on December 6, 2023. Utilizing eleven different filters, these images showcase the Sun’s full disk in wavelengths between 200 and 400 nm, excluding Ca II h.
The Mg II h image, in particular, reveals significant features such as sunspots, plages, and quiet Sun regions. These details enable scientists to gain unprecedented insights into the complex dynamics of the Sun’s atmosphere. The observations made by SUIT will play a crucial role in refining our understanding of the impact of solar radiation on Earth’s climate.
The development of SUIT involved a collaborative effort, with contributions from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), the Indian Institute of Astrophysics Bengaluru, the Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO-PRL), the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, the Centre for Excellence in Space Science Indian (CESSI) at IISER-Kolkata, and Tezpur University Assam.
