- Saturday, May 18, 2024
The Indian craft has been deliberately placed at a location from where it can view the sun without any interruption round the clock.
By: Shubham Ghosh
WHILE India’s pioneering space-based solar observatory Aditya-L1 has remained steadfast in its continuous study of the sun, it will not be able to observe Monday’s (8) total solar eclipse, which will be visible from many regions of North America.
The rare celestial event has captivated the attention of people across the United States, leading to the organization of various events to witness the phenomenon.
For the first time in nearly a century, the western and northern regions of New York State are poised to witness a total eclipse. The path of totality, a narrow corridor where the moon completely obscures the sun, traverses through cities, stirring excitement throughout the country.
The eclipse will also be visible from the US’s southern neighbour Mexico and the eastern part of the northern neighbour, Canada.
The Indian coronagraphy spacecraft, which was launched in September last year, will not be able to witness the event not because of any human error, NDTV reported, but because the craft has been deliberately placed at a location from where it can view the sun without any interruption round the clock.
Read: What is total solar eclipse and why it’s rare
Speaking to the channel, S Somanath, chairman of Indian space agency ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), said, “Aditya-L1 spacecraft will not see the solar eclipse as the moon is behind the spacecraft, at the Lagrange Point 1 (L1 point), the eclipse that is visible on Earth doesn’t have much significance at that location.”
Read: Texas man, 105, is keen to watch his 13th total solar eclipse: ‘I had to see them all’
Aditya-L1 orbits around L1 of the sun-Earth system, located approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. A satellite placed in a halo orbit around the L1 point enjoys a significant advantage: an uninterrupted view of the sun, free from any occultation or eclipses. This positioning offers an invaluable opportunity to observe solar activity and its impact on space weather in real-time.
Weighing nearly 1,500 kilograms, Aditya-L1 is a scientific robotic craft meticulously designed for continuous solar monitoring. Representing India’s maiden dedicated mission to scrutinise the star at the centre of the solar system, its primary aim is to comprehend the dynamics of solar activity, particularly during heightened solar phases.
The solar observatory has been developed at a cost of Rs 400 crore.
Dipankar Banerjee, a solar physicist with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIAP) in Bengaluru, said Aditya-L1 gives scientists the opportunity to see and study the sun’s corona as seen from space and as viewed from the ground when a total solar eclipse happens.
He was also set to carry out some experiments in Dallas, Texas, on Monday at the time of the eclipse and the data would be compared with that generated by Aditya-L1 for the same period.
