Why in news:

• Ground support for Aditya-L1 will be played by the ARIES facility ( Aryabhata Research Institute for observational Sciences)

What is Aditya-L1

• ISRO is gearing up for Aditya-L1, its first scientific mission to research the Sun.
• The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) XL will be used to launch it.
• It will be put in the L1 Lagrange point.
• A satellite in halo orbit around the Sun-Earth system’s Lagrangian point 1 (L1) has the main advantage of constantly observing the Sun without any occultation or eclipses.
  • Lagrange points are positions in space where objects sent there tend to stay put. At Lagrange points, the gravitational pull of two large masses precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. These points in space can be used by spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption needed to remain in position . There are five such points in the Sun-Earth system and they are denoted as L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5.
• Aditya L1 will investigate the Sun’s corona (visible and near-infrared rays), photosphere (soft and hard X-rays), chromosphere (ultra violet), solar radiation, solar winds and flares, and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), as well as conduct round-the-clock imaging of the Sun.

Need to study the sun

• Understanding space weather
• Studying solar storms
• To study the diagnostic parameters of solar corona and dynamics and origin of Coronal Mass Ejections
• To measure the magnitude and nature of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field

ARIES (Aryabhata Research Institute for observational Sciences)

• Specializes in Astronomy, Solar Physics, Astrophysics and Atmospheric Sciences.
• It is an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST)

Other Solar missions

• NASA’s Parker Solar Probe
• NASA’s Living With a Star
• NASA’s Helios 2

 Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/aries-facility-will-host-the-support-centre-for-aditya-l1/article34345598.ece