Aditya-L1: India’s Solar Odyssey
The Sun, a celestial furnace at the heart of our solar system, has fascinated scientists and stargazers alike. India has embarked on a groundbreaking mission called Aditya-L1 to probe the secrets of our life-giving star.
An article by the collective effort of Mehul and Shreya, members of the Astronomy Club, IIT BHU.
A Quest to Understand the Sun
Named after Aditya, the Sun god in Hindu mythology, the Aditya-L1 mission is India’s first space-based mission to study the sun, representing a pioneering effort by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Its primary mission is to scrutinise and fathom the Sun, with a specific focus on the Sun’s outermost layer, the enigmatic solar corona. This wispy, superheated region, visible during a solar eclipse, is key to unravelling the Sun’s complex behaviour and its influence on our solar system.
Why “Aditya-L1”?
The name “Aditya-L1” is deeply rooted in Indian culture and mythology. The term “Aditya” is commonly used to refer to the Sun, emphasising its divine and life-giving nature. Including “L1” in the mission’s name denotes the Lagrange point it will occupy. Lagrange points are stable regions in space where the gravitational forces of two massive bodies, in this case, the Sun and the Earth, create a stable orbital configuration. In the case of Aditya-L1, it will be positioned at the Sun-Earth L1 point, which offers a stable platform for continuous observation of the Sun without any occultations.
Scientific Objectives of Aditya-L1
- Probing the Corona: Aditya-L1 has a suite of cutting-edge scientific instruments to examine the Sun’s corona. This objective aims to uncover the secrets of the corona’s extreme temperatures, which can reach millions of degrees Celsius, far surpassing the Sun’s surface temperature.
- Unravelling Solar Activity: The mission endeavours to understand solar activity, including the formation of sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections. These phenomena directly impact space weather, with potential consequences for Earth’s technological infrastructure.
- Magnetic Fields and Solar Wind: Aditya-L1 will study the Sun’s magnetic fields and the solar wind, a continuous stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun. Investigating these aspects is crucial for comprehending solar dynamics and their repercussions on our planet.
Scientific Instruments on Aditya-L1
The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic particle and magnetic field detectors. Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the Sun, and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1, thus providing important scientific studies of the propagation effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium.
Aditya-L1 is equipped with a suite of specialized instruments, including:
- Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC): This instrument will capture images of the solar corona in visible and ultraviolet light, allowing scientists to study the temperature and dynamics of this region.
- Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT): SUIT will provide high-resolution images of the Sun in ultraviolet wavelengths, enabling a detailed exploration of the Sun’s outer atmosphere.
- Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA): PAPA will measure the properties of charged particles in the Sun’s outermost layer, giving insights into the composition and dynamics of the corona.
The Potential Impact on Science and Earth
- Solar Insights: By exploring the corona and observing solar activity up close, the mission will help scientists unravel the complex processes underlying the Sun's behaviour, including the dynamics of its magnetic fields and the mechanisms driving solar flares and eruptions.
- Space Weather Forecasting: Enhanced space weather forecasting, facilitated by Aditya-L1 data, is critical for safeguarding our technological infrastructure. Understanding and predicting solar events that can disrupt communication systems, power grids, and satellites is paramount.
- International Collaboration: The mission opens doors for global collaboration, fostering scientific cooperation in solar and space research and expanding our collective knowledge of the universe.
Similar to NASA’s solar probe, Parker, Aditya L1 is equipped with cutting-edge instruments and aims to study the outermost layer of the Sun. The only difference is that Parker cost around US $1.5 billion, while the Aditya L1 mission was executed with a mere US $50 million budget. This is a testimony to the superior efficiency of ISRO above other space organizations.
Let’s hope this mission succeeds and we can uncover mysteries of the Sun and the universe.
Further Reading
- Aditya-L1 Mission Booklet 1 and Booklet 2.
- Paper: The Aditya-L1 mission of ISRO.
