India’s space agency, ISRO, has reported that the Aditya-L1 spacecraft’s two onboard remote sensing instruments have successfully captured recent solar activity. This milestone marks a significant achievement in India’s maiden solar mission, Aditya-L1, which reached the Lagrangian point (L1) on January 6th this year, approximately 127 days after its launch on September 2nd, 2023.
Solar Fury Captured in Detail
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft, positioned at the Lagrangian point (L1) approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, offers an ideal vantage point for continuous observation of the Sun. Equipped with the Solar Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) and the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC), the spacecraft has been able to capture dynamic solar activities with unprecedented clarity.
ISRO reported that during May 2024, both instruments recorded several X-class and M-class flares, accompanied by Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), which resulted in significant geomagnetic storms. Notably, the Active region AR13664 on the Sun, observed during the week of May 8th to 15th, unleashed a series of powerful flares, including X-class and M-class events, leading to major geomagnetic disturbances on May 11th.
Insights from Remote Sensing Instruments
The Solar Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) onboard Aditya-L1 has provided detailed images of the Sun’s activities during these events. These images, released by ISRO on May 17th, offer valuable insights into the dynamics of solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections.
Additionally, the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) has contributed to the observations by capturing emissions from the Sun’s corona. By studying these emissions, scientists can better understand the mechanisms behind solar flares and their impact on space weather.
Advancing Solar Research
The successful capture of solar fury by Aditya-L1’s onboard instruments represents a significant advancement in solar research. The data collected during these events will contribute to our understanding of solar dynamics and their influence on space weather, thereby aiding in the development of better predictive models for space weather forecasting.
