TEXT & CONTEXT: ADITYA L1; IT'S FUNCTIONING AND PURPOSE
CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR 05TH SEPTEMBER,2023.
TEXT & CONTEXT: ADITYA L1; IT'S FUNCTIONING AND PURPOSE
Discovered by mathematician Joseph Louis Lagrange, L1 is one of the five points located approximately 1.5 million kms away, where the gravitational forces of the Sun and the earth are in equilibrium.
Hence, a spacecraft at L1 orbits the Sun at the same rate as Earth and affords an uninterrupted view of the Sun.
The L1 is currently home to the ESA-NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory observing the Sun and its dynamics. Aditya L-1 will join this observatory.
The spacecraft will undergo five orbit-raising man oeuvres before being slingshot to the L1. It will be placed in the halo orbit around L1, from where it can observe the Sun 24×7 using its four remote sensing payloads.
Solar activity is measured in terms of the number of sunspots. Sunspots are cooler regions on the Sun's surface which increase and decrease in a cycle of 11 years. However, despite the change in Solar activity, the emission in visible and long wavelengths is nearly steady. The earth's upper atmosphere absorbs most of the solar UV rays. Hence, it is imperative to know how far variation in UV rays contributes to climate variability on earth.
The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope will observe the uv radiation from different zones of the solar atmosphere. The on-board intelligence system will detect any sudden appearance of bright spots, such as solar flares on the disc.
At times, a chunk of the corona suddenly accelerates and leaps into interplanetary space. This is called Coronal Mass Ejection. Using the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph we can get crucial information about the mechanism responsible for CME acceleration.
Violent eruptions like solar flares and CMEs trigger a strong wind or solar storm. A geomagnetic storm occurs when the solar storm bashes the earth's magnetosphere.
While brilliant, beautiful auroras appear as more energetic particles flow through the North and south poles, GPS and short-wave communication are disrupted, and the electronics in the satellite are in danger.
Intense geomagnetic storms can induce magnetic-induced currents in the power grid and pipelines, resulting in power outages and fire. The energy from the charged particles heats the upper atmosphere, increasing the density and causing extra drag on satellites in LEO.
The changes in the solar wind's density, speed and direction is called space weather. Aditya L-1 will function as a space weather station. So, the data from this station will help scientists predict probable storms and better understand space weather dynamics.