Aditya-L1 Will Be Placed 1.5 Million Kilometres From The Earth. Know The Significance Of This Distance
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aditya-L1, India’s first space-based solar observatory to study the Sun, will be launched into space on September 2, 2023, and will reach its destination four months from launch. The spacecraft will be launched atop an XL-PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, at 11:50 am IST on September 2. About 120 days later, in January 2024, Aditya-L1 will reach a halo orbit around a special point in space, called Lagrange Point 1 (L1). </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">L1 lies along the Sun-Earth line, and is located 1.5 million kilometres from Earth.</span></p> <p><strong>MUST READ |<a title=" Aditya-L1: What Makes India's First Space-Based Solar Observatory To Study The Sun Unique" href="https://ift.tt/r5gSAZ9" target="_self"> Aditya-L1: What Makes India's First Space-Based Solar Observatory To Study The Sun Unique</a></strong></p> <h3><span style="color: #ff5e00;"><strong>Why is Aditya-L1 being placed around a Lagrange point?</strong></span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lagrange points are special positions in space which allow a spacecraft to save fuel because the gravitational pulls of large masses act in such a way that they become balanced, and cause the spacecraft to stay in a fixed position. Since Aditya-L1 will be placed in a halo orbit around L1, not only will the observatory be able to conserve energy and remain fixed in the orbit, but will also obtain an uninterrupted view of the Sun, throughout the entirety of its mission life. This is because at L1, no eclipses or occultations occur. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An astronomical occultation is a phenomenon in which light from a planetary body is completely obstructed by another celestial object, such as a star or a planet. In a solar eclipse, the Moon comes in between the Sun and the Earth, and during a lunar eclipse, the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon. Therefore, total solar and total lunar eclipses are occultations of the Sun and the Moon by the Moon and the Earth, respectively. All total eclipses are occultations, but all occultations are not eclipses. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the Lagrange point is devoid of eclipses or occultations, Aditya-L1 can perform scientific experiments continuously for five years, without any obstruction. </span></p> <p><strong>ALSO READ | <a title="Everything About Aditya-L1" href="https://ift.tt/MqYlkiR" target="_self">Everything About Aditya-L1</a></strong></p> <h3><span style="color: #ff5e00;"><strong>What is the significance of the 1.5 million-kilometre distance?</strong></span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The distance between the Sun and the Earth is about 150 million kilometres, and that between the Aditya-L1 spacecraft and the Earth will be 1.5 million kilometres. This means that the distance between Aditya-L1 and the Sun will be about 148.5 million kilometres. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chose 1.5 million kilometres as the distance between Aditya-L1 and the Earth after careful consideration.</span></p> <p><strong>ALSO READ | <a title="Chandrayaan-3: Vikram And Pragyan Are Halfway Through Their Mission Life. Know What Happens At The Mission's End" href="https://ift.tt/OBml4x1" target="_self">Chandrayaan-3: Vikram And Pragyan Are Halfway Through Their Mission Life. Know What Happens At The Mission's End</a></strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The distance of 1.5 million kilometres for Aditya-L1 holds immense significance in its mission to study the Sun. Placing Aditya-L1 at this specific distance is a carefully considered choice that offers several key advantages,” <em>Manish Purohit, a former ISRO scientist who was involved in the Chandrayaan-2 and Mangalyaan missions, told ABP Live.</em></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are two reasons behind this. As explained above, the halo orbit around L1 will allow Aditya-L1 to enjoy an uninterrupted view of the Sun for its entire mission life.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This unobstructed line of sight allows the spacecraft to continuously observe and collect data on various solar processes without being hindered by Earth's shadow, which can cause eclipses and disrupt observations,” <em>said Purohit.</em></span></p> <p><strong>MUST READ: EXCLUSIVE | <a title="Chandrayaan-3 Is A 'Huge Confidence Booster', Can Help Reverse Brain Drain, CERN Scientist Archana Sharma Says" href="https://ift.tt/BbmXLRQ" target="_self">Chandrayaan-3 Is A 'Huge Confidence Booster', Can Help Reverse Brain Drain, CERN Scientist Archana Sharma Says</a></strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The second advantage of L1 is that it offers a unique gravitational balance between the Earth and the Sun. Since the gravitational forces of the Earth and the Sun cancel each other out, Aditya-L1 will be able to maintain a stable position with low energy expenditure. In other words, an equilibrium is maintained.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The gravitational forces from both bodies effectively cancel each other out at this point, allowing a spacecraft to maintain a relatively stable position with minimal energy expenditure. This equilibrium makes it easier to keep Aditya-L1 in a stable halo orbit around the L1 point,” <em>said Purohit.</em></span></p> <p><strong>ALSO READ | <a title="Chandrayaan, Apollo, Artemis, Luna – Successful Moon Missions Launched Till Date" href="https://ift.tt/7kXDb65" target="_self">Chandrayaan, Apollo, Artemis, Luna – Successful Moon Missions Launched Till Date</a></strong></p> <h3><span style="color: #ff5e00;"><strong>How will Aditya-L1 study the Sun if it is located about 148.5 million kilometres from the star?</strong></span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aditya-L1’s distance from the Sun will be far relative to the distance between the spacecraft and the Earth. Despite this, Aditya-L1’s advanced instruments are expected to conduct multi-spectral observations by studying the radiations from the Sun in visible, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths, <em>said Purohit.</em> “This multi-spectral approach enables scientists to gain insights into different layers of the Sun's atmosphere and the intricate processes occurring within them.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another important point to note is that the distance between Aditya-L1 and the Sun will not negatively affect the spacecraft’s ability to study high-energy particles originating from the Sun. High-energy particles emitted by the Sun include protons and electrons. These particles can give scientists important information about the dynamic behaviour of the Sun, <em>Purohit explained.</em> “Aditya-L1's instruments are adept at capturing and analysing these particles, providing a deeper understanding of their origins and potential impact on space weather.”</span></p> <div class="article-data _thumbBrk uk-text-break"> <p><strong>MUST READ | <a title="Chandrayaan-3: As Vikram Lander And Pragyan Rover Start Operations On Moon, Here Is How They Will Help Humanity" href="https://ift.tt/09Iia7q" target="_self">Chandrayaan-3: How Vikram Lander And Pragyan Rover Will Help Humanity</a></strong></p> </div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aditya-L1 will carry seven payloads, which are of two types. Four instruments are remote sensing payloads, and three are in-situ payloads. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The four remote sensing payloads are: Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC), Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT), Solar Low-Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS), and High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The three in-situ payloads are: Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX), Plasma Analyser Package For Aditya (PAPA), and Advanced Tri-axial High Resolution Digital Magnetometers.</span></p> <p><strong>ALSO READ | <a title="Soft Landing To Trans-Lunar Orbit: Chandrayaan-3 Jargons Explained" href="https://ift.tt/Zog9PVD" target="_self">Soft Landing To Trans-Lunar Orbit: Chandrayaan-3 Jargons Explained</a></strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The magnetometers will study the magnetic fields at the Lagrange point, in order to understand how solar activities affect the magnetic fields in the interplanetary medium. The observations made by the magnetometers will help scientists understand intricate details behind different solar phenomena such as sunspots, flares, and coronal mass ejections.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“One of the key features of Aditya-L1's instrumentation are its magnetometers. The magnetometers will be utilised to monitor the magnetic field at the L1. By observing the Sun's magnetic field variations, scientists can uncover critical details about solar phenomena like sunspots, flares, and coronal mass ejections, which have significant implications for Earth's space environment,” </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Purohit concluded.</span></em></p>
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