ISRO’s Aditya-L1 Reveals Uneven Solar Eruption, Enhancing Space-Weather Forecasts
ISRO’s Aditya-L1 spacecraft detected that a solar eruption expanded unevenly, a finding that could improve predictions of solar storms that affect Earth’s technology.
On 5 November 2026, scientists announced that ISRO’s Aditya-L1, India's first space-based solar observatory, captured a coronal mass ejection (CME) that expanded unevenly. The observation, made on 5 August 2024, shows that CMEs can have asymmetric shapes, challenging the long-standing assumption that they spread uniformly like spherical bubbles. The discovery could help refine space-weather forecasts that predict solar storms which can disrupt satellites, communication networks and other technology on Earth.
Key points
- Aditya-L1’s Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) used Doppler spectroscopy to measure plasma motion.
- Data from VELC, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and 3-D modelling revealed blue-shifted and red-shifted emission features.
- Asymmetric expansion of the CME may affect its speed and interaction with the solar wind.
- Improved understanding of CME geometry can lead to better arrival-time predictions at Earth.
- Researchers plan to apply the technique to more solar eruptions.
Details
The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, combined observations from Aditya-L1’s VELC, images from NASA’s SDO and three-dimensional modelling. A uniform-expansion model could not match the spectral data, while a tilted, uneven-expansion model did. The asymmetric shape of a CME can influence how it interacts with the solar wind, potentially making its arrival time at Earth harder to predict.
Aditya-L1, launched in September 2023, operates near the Sun-Earth L1 point, about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, providing continuous observations of solar activity.
What it means for students
Students interested in space science, physics or engineering can see how real-world data and advanced modelling are used to solve complex problems. The findings highlight the importance of spectroscopy, imaging and 3-D modelling in space-weather research. For those preparing for competitive exams in physics or astronomy, the study offers a concrete example of how observational techniques are applied to understand solar phenomena.
Keep an eye on ISRO’s official website for future updates on Aditya-L1 missions and related research opportunities.
Source: Business Today. Written for students by the Isolated Study News Desk from public reports. Always check the official website for final dates and details.