Kolkata: Kolkata: Scientists at the Centre of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI) at IISER Kolkata are excited about the first scientific results from the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) on board India's solar space mission Aditya-L1. The telescope has captured a solar flare ‘kernel' at low heights of the Sun's atmosphere for the very first time.
"This observation marks a leap in the understanding of explosive activities in the solar atmosphere. The unique ability of the telescope to observe different layers of the Sun close to its surface has uncovered the chain of events related to a solar flare. I am excited at the prospect of being able to map the flow of energy that drives a solar flare," said Dibyendu Nandi from CESSI, which was involved in the planning and development of the SUIT instrument on the Aditya satellite.
The SUIT instrument observed one of the most intense categories of solar eruptions on Feb 22, 2025. SUIT detected brightening in the near-ultraviolet wavelength range, the first time that the Sun's full disk was imaged in its entire wavelength range in such detail.
Solar flares or eruptions are magnetic storms on the Sun that produce intense radiation and accelerate particles up to a fraction of the speed of light. They can be harmful to satellite operations and produce radio blackouts.
"These observations provide new insights into these energetic events that create severe space weather and highlight the complex magnetic processes that determine the transport of mass and energy through different layers of the solar atmosphere," explained Nandi, who is a co-investigator of the SUIT instrument.
The SUIT instrument was developed by collaborating organisations led by IUCAA Pune. Durgesh Tripathi and AN Ramaprakash of IUCAA were lead scientists at IUCAA. "We were involved in its planning in 2012-13. After its funding, CESSI helped in developing the instrument. Avyarthana Ghosh, a PhD student of the first batch of CESSI, and two CESSI engineers, Mintu Karmakar and Deborshi Chakraborty, worked in collaboration at IUCAA and ISRO to contribute to the design and testing."
Other institutions involved in research from observations by the telescope include the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune; Manipal Academy for Higher Education (MAHE); UR Rao Satellite Centre/ISRO; Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany; Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram; and the SoLEXS team from UR Rao Satellite Centre/ISRO.
Stay updated with breaking news, weather updates, bank holidays and upcoming public holidays in march.