Check Out Aditya L-1’s First Full Disk Images Of The Sun

The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) of Aditya L-1, India’s first solar observation mission, has officially opened its eyes and taken the spacecraft’s first pictures of the whole visible part of the Sun! These pictures were taken in a variety of near-ultraviolet wavelengths ranging from 200–400 nm as per ISRO on X.

The pictures of the Sun taken by Aditya L-1. Credits: ISRO on X

These images reveal a variety of features on the ‘surface’ of the Sun, such as Sunspots, a solar plage (an unusually bright region of the Sun), and some inactive areas.

The Sun is an enormous ball of gas and plasma. So, the part that is visible to us is actually a thin layer of Hydrogen and Helium called the Photosphere. The plage is another feature of the Sun, which refers to an unusually bright region of the Chromosphere, which is located above the Photosphere, but below the Corona.

The features of the Sun are clearly visible in this image. Credits: ISRO on X

Another image taken by SUIT. Credits: ISRO on X

Aditya L-1 is India’s first ever space based solar observatory and is about one month away from reaching the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L-1, where it will reside for the rest of its life. This point is about 1% of the distance between the Sun and Earth away from us. It provides the spacecraft with an uninterrupted view of the Sun at all times.

That is all for now. Stay tuned for more information on Space and Aditya L-1.

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Cheers,

Aarav Iyer

References:

(1) ISRO on X.

(3) Times of India Newspaper: dated 09 December 2023