Powerful solar flare captured by probe in unprecedented detail

India's first solar probe, Aditya-L1, has made detailed observations of a powerful solar flare, marking a significant moment in the study of solar activity. The event was captured from the Lagrange point 1 (L1), located about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, a strategic location that allows continuous monitoring of the Sun. Solar flares are phenomena caused by complex interactions of the Sun's magnetic fields and can significantly influence space weather. Aditya-L1 is equipped with seven state-of-the-art scientific instruments, designed to analyze these phenomena at various wavelengths, providing a detailed picture of how solar energy propagates through the layers of the solar atmosphere.

One of these instruments, SUIT (Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope), detected a solar flare of type X6.3 on February 22, 2024. The X classification indicates an extreme intensity of the phenomenon, and this eruption occurred in the active region NOAA 13590. SUIT observations focused on wavelengths in the near ultraviolet range (300-400 nanometers), a spectral range that has not been directly observed by other space telescopes. Detailed analysis of the event was possible by combining data provided by SUIT with those from the SoLEXS (Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer) spectrometer. The researchers found that the increased brightness in the Sun's lower atmosphere was directly correlated with an increase in temperature in the solar corona. This discovery contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms by which the energy released by solar flares is transferred between the different layers of the solar atmosphere.

The study's findings, published in the prestigious journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters, confirm the scientific value of the data collected by Aditya-L1. "We were very lucky that Aditya-L1 was able to observe such a powerful solar flare early in its mission," said Sami Solanki, co-author of the study and director of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany. The Indian probe's observations were complemented by data obtained by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (NASA) and the Solar Orbiter (ESA), along with measurements made with ground-based telescopes. This integrated information provided a complex and unprecedented picture of how solar flares affect our star's atmosphere.

With this success, Aditya-L1 confirms its essential role in studying the Sun and in developing more accurate predictive models for solar activity, thus contributing to the protection of technological infrastructure and satellites against the effects of geomagnetic storms.