India's Solar Mission - Aditya L1
India’s first dedicated solar mission Aditya-L1 has successfully taken very close observations of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – which are powerful eruptions of hot gas and particles from the Sun. These observations were made using the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) instrument that is onboard Aditya-L1.
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru worked together with NASA to study this data. What makes this special is that this is the first time in the world that a CME has been observed so close to the Sun in the visible light range. Usually, such observations are done from far away, but Aditya-L1 is placed at a special point in space called Lagrange Point L1, where the spacecraft can continuously watch the Sun without any interruption.
What the Scientists Found
The scientists were able to measure:
Electron density (how many particles are present)
Energy
Mass
Temperature
Speed of the eruption
They found that:
The mass of the CME was around 270 million tons
The speed of the eruption was 264 km per second
The temperature of the material was around 1.8 million Kelvin (very extremely hot)
The energy released was about 9.4 × 10²¹ joules
To understand this:
The CME is extremely heavy compared to the iceberg that sank the Titanic (which was about 1.5 million tons).
This shows how powerful eruptions from the Sun can be.
Why This is Important
Such eruptions can affect Earth’s satellites, communication systems, power grids and astronaut safety.
By studying CMEs early, near their origin, scientists can predict space weather better.
This helps protect technology on Earth and in space.
The scientists also mentioned that the Sun is entering a period of higher activity in its 11-year solar cycle. This means more eruptions are expected in the coming months. Since Aditya-L1 observes the Sun continuously, it will help us understand and forecast these eruptions more accurately.
In Short
Aditya-L1 is helping India study the Sun closely.
The mission is giving scientists new and important data about solar eruptions.
This will help improve space weather prediction and protect technology on Earth
