The primary objective of the mission is to increase India‘s ability to observe the Sun for 24 hours a day. The unhindered observation of the Sun will help in closely monitoring its activity. For its accomplishment, Aditya L1 is equipped with two major instruments, along with five smaller ones.
SUIT (Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope), is an ultraviolet imager that captures continuous images of the Sun. The ultraviolet spectrum is important for making observations. The reason for its importance is the large amount of ultraviolet and X-ray radiation emitted from the Sun’s corona.
Another major instrument is VELC. It is a spectrograph that focuses on the Sun’s corona—the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere. Notably, it extends far beyond the Sun’s visible disk. VELC will also monitor the corona alongside SUIT and will let the ISRO scientists correlate changes in the Sun’s corona with events on the Sun’s surface.
Aditya L1 to discover mysteries
of the Sun’s behavior
Referring to the peculiar phenomenon of the high temperature of the Sun’s corona, Somak explains that the Sun’s corona is astonishingly hot. Its temperature can increase up to 2 million degrees. Interestingly, it is in stark contrast to the relatively cooler surface of the Sun at around 5,000 degrees. The significant temperature difference remains a “baffling mystery in solar science,” Romak told HT. Studying the Sun’s high-energy phenomena will help in unraveling the mystery. In a major development for India, Aditya L1 can help ISRO scientists establish casual connections between the Sun and its corona.
Observations made by Aditya L1 will also help in bridging the connection between the Sun’s surface and the emission of high-energy particles during solar storms. These storms are closely related to the Sun’s magnetic activity, highlighted Romak in his HT interview. He also warned that these solar storms carry the potential to harm human technologies, including satellites and communication systems. Source: HT