Aditya L1: Why Discoveries From India’s Latest Sun Mission are Important for the World
A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), composed of charged particles, can have a mass reaching up to one trillion kilograms and can achieve velocities of up to 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) per second during its journey.
Indian scientists have obtained “first significant results” from Aditya L1, the country’s first solar observation mission to space. They said the new findings could help protect power grids and communication satellites from damage the next time solar activities threaten infrastructure on Earth and in space.
A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), composed of charged particles, can have a mass reaching up to one trillion kilograms and can achieve velocities of up to 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) per second during its journey. “It can go in any direction, including towards Earth,” says Professor R Ramesh of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, who designed WELK. “Now imagine this giant fireball speeding towards Earth.
At its maximum velocity, the journey to traverse the 150-million-kilometre distance between the Earth and the Sun would require approximately 15 hours. The coronal ejection recorded by WELK on July 16 commenced at 13:08 GMT.
Professor Ramesh, principal investigator of WELK, who has published a paper on this CME in the prestigious Astrophysical Journal Letters, said it originated from the edge of the Earth. “But within half an hour of its journey, it deflected and went in a different direction, going behind the Sun.
However, within thirty minutes of its journey, it altered and went in a different direction, moving behind the Sun. Since Aditya L1 was far away, it did not affect Earth’s weather.” But solar storms, solar flares and coronal mass ejections regularly affect Earth’s weather. They also affect space weather where about 7,800 satellites, including more than 50 of India’s satellites, are located.
According to Space.com, they rarely pose a direct threat to human life, but they can wreak havoc on Earth by interfering with the Earth’s magnetic field. Although they rarely pose any direct threat to human life, they can significantly disrupt conditions on Earth by affecting the planet’s magnetic field, according to Space.com.
Their most benign effect is to cause beautiful auroras in places close to the North and South Poles. A significant coronal mass ejection can lead to the visibility of auroras in far-off locations, including London and France, as observed in the months of May and October.
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