Aditya-L1 mission updates: SUIT payload captures full-disk images of the Sun

Here, you will get all the updates about India’s first solar mission Aditya-L1:

December 8: SUIT payload captures full-disk images of the Sun

Aditya-L1’s onboard SUIT payload (instrument) captured the first full-disk images of the sun in near ultraviolet wavelengths (200–400 nm) on December 6, 2023, and the Indian Space Agency, ISRO, released these images on December 8, 2023.

SUIT stands for Solar Ultra-violet Imaging Telescope. SUIT captures images of the Sun’s photosphere and chromosphere in near ultraviolet wavelengths (200–400 nm) using various scientific filters.

Aditya-L1's SUIT instrument captures the first full-disk image of the sun in the near ultraviolet wavelength — Aditya-L1’s SUIT instrument captures the first full-disk image of the sun in the near ultraviolet wavelength. (Image credit: ISRO)

The above image revealed notable features like sunspots, plages, and quiet sun regions at 280 nm wavelength.

SUIT observations will help scientists study the dynamic coupling of the magnetized solar atmosphere and assist them in placing tight constraints on the effects of solar radiation on Earth’s climate.

The SUIT instrument is developed by Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune in close collaboration with ISRO.

Aditya-L1 Mission:
The SUIT payload captures full-disk images of the Sun in near ultraviolet wavelengths

The images include the first-ever full-disk representations of the Sun in wavelengths ranging from 200 to 400 nm.

They provide pioneering insights into the intricate details… pic.twitter.com/YBAYJ3YkUy
— ISRO (@isro) December 8, 2023

Aditya-L1 mission

Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space mission to study the sun from L1 in space. In Sanskrit, Aditya means the Sun. L1 is the Lagrange Point 1 of the Sun-Earth system, which is located about 1.5 million kilometers from the Earth in space.

Position of the Aditya-L1 spacecraft around L1 in space — Position of the Aditya-L1 spacecraft around Lagrange Point 1 (L1) in space. (Image credit: ISRO)

In simple words, Lagrange Point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system is a region in space where the gravitational forces of the Sun and Earth create an equilibrium. It is also called the parking spot in space. Please remember there are five Lagrange Points (L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5) of the Sun-Earth system.

Aditya-L1 spacecraft carries total seven payloads (instruments) to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona).

Scientific payloads (instruments) of Aditya-L1:

Aditya-L1 carries seven scientific payloads to study the sun from space. All payloads are indigenously developed in close collaboration with ISRO.

Scientific payloads	Full name	Function	Developed by
VELC	Visible Emission Line Coronagraph	To study solar corona and dynamics of coronal mass ejections	Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru
SUIT	Solar Ultra-violet Imaging Telescope	To image the solar photosphere and chromosphere in near ultraviolet (UV)	Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune
SoLEXS	Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer	To study the X-ray flares from the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range	U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru
HEL1OS	High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer	To study the X-ray flares from the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range	U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru
ASPEX	Aditya Solar wind Particle EXperiment	To study the solar wind and energetic ions	Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad
PAPA	Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya	To study the solar wind and energetic ions	Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram
MAG	Magnetometer	To measure interplanetary magnetic fields at the L1 point	Laboratory for Electro Optics Systems, Bengaluru