An unprecedented view of a powerful solar flare ‘kernel’ has been captured by the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) onboard India’s first dedicated solar space mission, Aditya-L1.
The observation has been made in the lower solar atmosphere, including the photosphere and the chromosphere.
On February 22, an X6.3-class solar flare was observed by SUIT, with brightening detected in the Near-Ultra Violet (NUV) wavelength range (200-400 nm).
This is the first time the entire disk of the Sun has been imaged in such remarkable detail across this entire wavelength range.
These observations provide new information about explosive solar activity and the complex processes that govern energy transfer in different layers of the Sun’s atmosphere.
Solar flares, produced by sudden releases of magnetic energy, can affect space weather, disrupting satellite operations, radio communications, and electrical grids, as well as posing hazards to astronauts and airline passengers.
On September 2, 2023, the Aditya-L1 mission was launched.
On January 6, 2024, the spacecraft was successfully placed in a large halo orbit around the first Earth-Sun Lagrange point, known as Lagrange point L1.
