Aditya L1 successfully captures full disk images of Sun
Aditya L1 successfully captures full disk images of Sun
By: Pune Pulse
December 9, 2023
Pune: The first full-disk images of the Sun in the 200–400 nm wavelength range have been successfully taken by the Aditya L1 spacecraft’s Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) instrument. SUIT uses a variety of scientific filters to take pictures of the photosphere and chromosphere of the Sun in this wavelength range.
As per further information from ISRO’s official website, the SUIT payload was powered on November 20, 2023. On December 6, 2023, the telescope took its first light science images after a successful pre-commissioning phase. Using eleven different filters (Table 1), these unprecedented images contain the first-ever full-disk representations of the Sun in wavelengths between 200 and 400 nm, excluding Ca II h. Studies of the Sun’s full disk images at the Ca II h wavelength have been conducted from various observatories.
The Mg II h image reveals several noteworthy features, including sunspots, plages, and quiet Sun regions. These features offer scientists unprecedented insights into the intricate details of the Sun’s photosphere and chromosphere. Scientists will be able to tighten constraints on the impact of solar radiation on Earth’s climate by studying the dynamic coupling of the magnetized solar atmosphere with the aid of SUIT observations.
Under the direction of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, a cooperative effort was made to develop SUIT. ISRO, the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), the Indian Institute of Astrophysics Bengaluru, the Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO-PRL), the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, the Centre for Excellence in Space Science Indian (CESSI) at IISER-Kolkata, and Tezpur University Assam were all involved in this collaboration.
Shreyas Vange
