Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: India’s first solar observatory—Aditya-L1— has captured the first high-energy X-ray glimpse of solar flares, two months after its launch, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said on Tuesday.
The High Energy L1 Orbiting Xray Spectrometer (HEL1OS), one of the seven payloads on board the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, has successfully recorded the impulsive phase of solar flares during its first observation period on October 29, 2023.
A solar flare is a sudden and intense burst of energy and radiation originating from the Sun’s surface and outer atmosphere, primarily in the form of X-rays and ultraviolet (UV) light. Solar flares are caused by the release of magnetic energy stored in the Sun’s atmosphere.
Launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on September 2, 2023, the Aditya-L1 mission aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Sun’s dynamics and its impact on earth’s climate.
Commissioned on October 27, HEL1OS is undergoing fine-tuning of thresholds and calibration operations. The instrument is set to monitor Sun’s high-energy X-ray activity with fast timing and highresolution spectra. Its data enables researchers to study explosive energy release and electron acceleration during impulsive phases of solar flares.
