The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has provided comprehensive observations of the major solar storm that impacted Earth on May 11, 2024, from the Aditya L1 spacecraft positioned at strategic locations.
The active region AR13664, one of the biggest sunspots in recorded history, on the Sun, erupted several powerful X-class and M-class flares associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during May 8-9, triggering this geomagnetic storm on Earth.
The storm that hit Earth's magnetic field triggered auroras in several parts of the world, including India.
Isro's Aditya-L1 spacecraft, situated at the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point, played a pivotal role in capturing this event. Its remote sensing payloads, SoLEXS and HEL1OS, recorded the X-class and M-class flares during May 8-9, while the in-situ payloads ASPEX and MAG observed the storm's signatures as it passed through L1 on May 10-11.
Chandrayaan-2, Isro's lunar orbiter, also contributed valuable observations from its unique vantage point around the Moon. Its Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM) detected not only the X-rays from the solar flares but also an increase in the local high-energy particle environment.
After completing calibration and baking operations, Aditya-L1's Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) and Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) resumed observations on May 14. SUIT captured images in narrow bands, revealing bright active regions on the solar disk, signifying magnetically active areas where large flares can originate as the Sun approaches solar maximum.
VELC conducted raster scans of the solar corona in the 5303 Angstrom emission line, providing insights into coronal activities. The raster image assembled from these scans clearly shows the location of AR13664, marked by a box.
Raster scanning is a method used to create images on screens, such as in televisions and computer monitors, as well as in certain types of imaging systems. It involves scanning an image line by line from top to bottom, typically in a left-to-right pattern.
Ground-based facilities like the Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO) of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) also contributed to Isro's multi-faceted observations of this significant solar event.
By combining data from multiple spacecraft and ground stations, Isro has gathered a comprehensive dataset on this intense solar storm, enabling detailed analysis and advancing our understanding of space weather phenomena that can impact Earth's atmosphere and technology.
