Aditya-L1 Spacecraft : Image
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft started its trip toward the Sun on September 2, 2023.
- It was India’s first mission to study the sun. The Lagrangian point L1 was successfully reached on January 6, 2024, just 127 days after launch.
- It is in a key location about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
- The location at L1 is very important because it gives the spacecraft a clear view of the Sun, which makes monitoring the Sun easier all the time.
- Two important tools that Aditya-L1 has are the Solar Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) and the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC).
- These tools are very important for recording and studying things that happen in the sun. In May 2024, there was an unusually long time of high solar activity.
- During this time, the spacecraft picked up a lot of X- and M-class solar flares coming from AR13664, an active region on the Sun. Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) were linked to these flares, which happened mostly around May 8 and 9.
- On May 11, Earth was hit by a big geomagnetic storm caused by solar flares and following CMEs.
- Because these kinds of storms can affect power lines and satellite communications, studying them is very important for coming up with ways to protect technology infrastructure.
Aditya-L1 spacecraft:
- India’s first dedicated scientific mission to study the Sun, launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- The spacecraft is designed to observe the solar atmosphere, including the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun.
- The mission is named after the Hindu Sun god, Aditya.
