ISRO's Aditya L1 measures intensity of first solar flare; Scientists analyzing key discovery

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India’s solar probe mission Aditya L1 completed a crucial mission on Thursday as it measured the extent of the intense 'solar flare' from the Sun. This mission unlocks the secret of solar flares, which disrupt the electromagnetism around Earth and block long-range radio waves reaching Earth. The milestone finding has again brought laurels as India became the first country to achieve this mission.

The intensity was successfully measured by the HEL1OS instrument, the High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer, developed by scientists at ISRO's Bangalore UR Rao Satellite Centre. The scientific world is analyzing this in detail.

In the past, attempts were made to measure the intensity of solar flares using X-ray and gamma-ray instruments but were unsuccessful. The device captured the solar flare that occurred on October 29 from 12 noon to 10 pm. ISRO released the information through the X platform.

There is still a lot to study about solar flares. The scientist clique is hopeful that Aditya L1 can contribute to this. Aditya L1 will be stationed at Legrand Point, 15 lakh km from Earth and is expected to reach the target by January.

Solar flares are sudden bursts of intense brightness around the Sun. It occurs when magnetic energy stored in the Sun's atmosphere accelerates charged particles in the surrounding plasma. The temperature around the Sun can quickly rise to millions of Kelvin. Then electrons, protons ions of elements will flow strongly at speeds close to light.

A solar flare can cause distortions in messages from artificial satellites and spacecraft. Sometimes there may be obstacles. The X-rays and ultraviolet radiation from the flares can affect the Earth's ionosphere. Long distances can interfere with radio transmissions.