| News Source: The Hindu The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has placed the Aditya-L1 spacecraft in a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point (L1). India’s maiden solar mission Aditya-L1 reached the L1 point on January 6, 127 days after it was launched on September 2, 2023. The point is located roughly 1.5 million km from earth and enables the spacecraft to view the sun continuously. |
Background:
- Indian scientists have so far observed the Sun through telescopes on the ground and relied on data from other solar missions.
- Aditya-L1 presents a unique opportunity to address the existing gaps and complement newer data to address the unsolved problems in solar physics.
- Aditya-L1, the first Indian space-based observatory to study the Sun, was launched on September 2, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
- After a 1.5 million km journey, the spacecraft was placed in a halo orbit around L1 on January 6.
- The solar probe was carried into space by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
Objectives of Aditya L-1 mission:
- Main objective: Expanding our knowledge of the Sun and how its radiation, heat, flow of particles, and magnetic fields affect us.
- Other objectives Includes:
- Study of Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics.
- Study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionised plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares.
- Diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma: Temperature, velocity and density.
- Observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment providing data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun.
- Magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona.
- Development, dynamics and origin of CMEs.
- Drivers for space weather (origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind.
- Identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events.
- Physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism.
Is there a Need for studying the Sun from space?
- We study the sun to better understand how its ever-changing conditions can influence Earth, other worlds, and even space itself.
- Another reason why it is important to study the Sun is that scientists are yet to have a deep understanding of space weather.
- Studying the Sun helps us understand more about other stars. Sun’s age, radius, mass, and luminosity (brightness) .
- The sun has various explosive phenomena. These can damage our satellites and communication systems.
- Studying the Sun and its effects on the space weather may help provide early warnings for such events.
- Earth’s atmosphere and the magnetic field act as protective shields blocking harmful radiations, such as UV light.
- This means studying the Sun from the Earth cannot provide a complete picture.
Space agencies of different countries exploring the Sun:
Conclusion
While landing on the Sun, it will remain a formidable challenge due to its extreme temperatures. The missions like Aditya-L1 are poised to unlock valuable insights into our star, the Sun, from their vantage point in space.