ADITYA L1: Detailed guide about India’s first Solar mission!!

Aditya L1 will be studying the Sun. In order to comprehend this, we must acquire some knowledge about the Sun. Our solar system‘s Sun has a diameter that is 109 times larger than that of Earth. Its mass is 333,000 times greater than that of Earth. To put it into perspective, approximately 1.3 million Earths could fit inside the Sun. Similar to the Earth, the Sun also consists of various layers, including the core, mantle, and crust. The core of the Sun is where nuclear fusion reactions occur, converting hydrogen and helium gases into energy. This energy produces both sunlight and heat, which we feel on Earth. The core’s temperature can reach a scorching 15 million degrees Celsius. Surrounding the core is the radiative zone, which constitutes 70% of the Sun’s radius. Next is the convective zone, which makes up approximately 30% of the Sun’s radius and transfers energy through convection. Following this is the Photosphere, which is considered the surface of the Sun, even though it doesn’t have a solid surface like the Earth. Instead, it consists of hot gases and plasma, and is often referred to as the lowest layer of the Sun’s atmosphere. The temperature here is relatively cooler at 5,500°C. Above the Photosphere is the Chromosphere, where the temperature begins to rise, starting at 6,000°C and reaching up to 20,000°C as altitude increases. Beyond this lies the Transition Region, and finally, the outermost layer of the Sun known as the Corona. The Corona layer is comprised of incredibly hot plasma at temperatures ranging from 1 to 3 million degrees Celsius. One might wonder why the sun’s core is so hot while its surface is cooler and the corona layer is extremely hot. This question remains a mystery for scientists, and it is possible that the Aditya L1 space mission will shed light on this. Scientists have their own theories about this phenomenon, but the exact reason is still unknown. When observing the sun from the ground, the layer we usually see is the Photosphere. However, during a solar eclipse, a reddish glow known as the Chromosphere layer becomes visible. During a total solar eclipse, only the Corona layer is visible, forming a faint halo around the sun. The mission of Aditya L1 is to study the top three layers of the sun: Photosphere, Chromosphere, and Corona. However, the challenge is how to accomplish this from millions of kilometers away from the sun. Before discussing the instruments used for this mission, we must understand the various emissions of the sun. It is widely known that the sun emits heat and light. In addition to visible light, the sun also emits various forms of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet rays, infrared radiation, radio waves, X-rays, and gamma rays. While X-rays and gamma rays are harmful, our Earth’s atmosphere provides protection from them. Furthermore, the sun emits solar wind, which is a large wave of charged electrons and protons. When this solar wind interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field, it results in the phenomenon of the Northern Lights. Additionally, the sun emits Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), which are large bursts of solar wind and magnetic fields. Solar flares, intense flashes of light and energy emitted by the sun, are also part of its emissions. These solar flares have been depicted in various science fiction movies, such as “2012” and “Knowing,” often portraying them as catastrophic events with the potential to destroy the world.