India's Aditya-L1 captures solar eruption that could circle Earth in 30 secs

ISRO announced on Wednesday that the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) onboard Aditya-L1 mission has captured a massive solar flare and a rare ejection of plasma using the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT).

More details on the solar flare

On December 31, 2023, the SUIT instrument recorded the Sun unleashing an enormous solar flare (an X-class solar flare), hurling a glowing plasma blob off the sun.

Initially, this blob moved at about 300 kilometres per second but then accelerated to 1,500 kilometres per second and circled the Earth in just 30 seconds.

The footage shows the eruption and the plasma's journey across SUIT's field of view, with the Sun's brightness reduced in the video to highlight these dramatic off-limb structures.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy because of a sudden release of magnetic energy in the Sun's atmosphere.

These events can convey huge amounts of radiation and energetic particles into space, sometimes disrupting radio communications, damaging satellites, and even affecting power grids on Earth.

Traditionally, solar flares have been studied mostly in X-rays and extreme ultraviolet light.

However, SUIT's observations in the near-ultraviolet are unique, helping researchers track how energy moves through the Sun's atmosphere and how flares impact space weather.

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft was launched in September 2023 and reached its observation point, the Lagrange Point L1, in January 2024.

The Indian Space Research Organisation is not just involved in space research but also plays a vital role in protecting the nation.

ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan recently said that 10 satellites are working continuously, day and night, with a strategic purpose to ensure the safety and security of Indian citizens.

The Chairman also shared that ISRO is building a satellite for G20 countries to track climate change, weather, and air pollution.

The space research organisation is also partnering with the US on an advanced Earth-imaging satellite. From building India’s first satellite in 1975 to launching over 550 satellites, including over 430 for more than 30 countries, ISRO is the nation's key support system.

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