Connect with us

Published

2 years ago

on

Aditya L1, the first space-based Indian mission to study the Sun underwent the second earth-bound manoeuvre successfully, during the early hours on Tuesday, ISRO said. ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) carried out the operation.

“The second Earth-bound manoeuvre (EBN#2) is performed successfully from ISTRAC, Bengaluru. ISTRAC/ISRO’s ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation. The new orbit attained is 282 km x 40225 km,” ISRO said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The next manoeuvre (EBN#3) is scheduled for September 10, 2023, around 02:30 Hrs. IST, it said.

Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space-based observatory to study the Sun from a halo orbit around the first Sun-earth Lagrangian point (L1), which is located roughly 1.5 million km from Earth.

The first earth-bound manoeuvre was successfully performed on September 3.

The spacecraft will undergo two more earth-bound orbital manoeuvres before being placed in the transfer orbit towards the Lagrange point L1. Aditya-L1 is expected to arrive at the intended orbit at the L1 point after about 127 days.

ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) on September 2 had successfully launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.

After a flight duration of 63 minutes and 20 seconds, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft was successfully injected into an elliptical orbit of 235×19500 km around the Earth.

According to ISRO, a satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation /eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage in observing solar activities and their effect on space weather in real time.

Aditya-L1 carries seven scientific payloads indigenously developed by ISRO and national research laboratories including the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, and Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune.

The payloads are to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic particle and magnetic field detectors.

Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the Sun and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1, thus providing important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium.

The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide the most crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, and propagation of particles and fields.

According to scientists, there are five Lagrangian points (or parking areas) between the Earth and the Sun where a small object tends to stay if put there. The Lagrange Points are named after Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange for his prize-winning paper — “Essai sur le Problème des Trois Corps, 1772.” These points in space can be used by spacecraft to remain there with reduced fuel consumption.

At a Lagrange point, the gravitational pull of the two large bodies (the Sun and the Earth) equals the necessary centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Science

Earth’s Oceans Enter Danger Zone Due to Rising Acidification, New Study Warns

Published

18 hours ago

on

June 15, 2025

By

Earth’s Oceans Enter Danger Zone Due to Rising Acidification, New Study Warns

The oceans of Earth are in worse condition than it was, thought, said the scientists. This is because of the increased acidity levels that led the sea to enter the danger zone five years ago. As per the new study, oceans are more acidic by releasing carbon dioxide from industrial activities such as fossil fuel burning. This acidification of the oceans damages marine life and the ecosystem, in turn threatening the coastal human communities that are dependent on healthy waters for their life.

Oceans May Have Crossed the Danger Zone in 2020

In the study published on Monday, June 9, 2025, in the journal Global Change Biology, researchers have found that acidification is highly advanced tha it was considered in the previous years. Our oceans might have entered the danger zone in the year 2020. Previous research suggested that the oceans of Earth were approaching a danger zone for ocean acidification.

How Ocean Acidification Happens

Ocean acidification is driven by the absorption of ocean of excess CO2 into the ocean, which is rapidly contributing to the global crisis. CO2 dissolves in seawater, forming carbonic acid, lowering pH levels and invading the vital carbonate ions. This threatens the species in the water, such as corals and shellfish, which depend on calcium carbonate to build their skeletons and shells.

The Planetary Boundary May Be Breached

Recent research depicts that the ocean acidification levels may now be breached, crossing the previous estimate of a 19% aragonite decline from the previous industrial levels. Scientists are alarmed that this change could destabilise the ecosystems of marine and, in turn, the coastal economies. This is a ticking bomb with socioeconomic and environmental consequences.

Global Consequences of Acidification

The recent findings suggest that scientists have feared in the past. Ocean acidification has reached dangerous levels, exceeding the limit that is needed to maintain a healthy and stable environment. As critical habitats degrade, the rippling effects are expected to cause harm to biodiversity, impact food security for many of the people who depend on the oceans for their livelihood.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Spotted on Geekbench; Suggests SoC Details, Benchmark Scores



Vivo X200 FE Specifications Leaked, May Feature MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ Chipset

Continue Reading

Science

NASA Chandra Spots Distant X-Ray Jet; Telescope Faces Major Budget Cuts

Published

19 hours ago

on

June 15, 2025

By

NASA Chandra Spots Distant X-Ray Jet; Telescope Faces Major Budget Cuts

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has detected an enormous X-ray jet from quasar J1610+1811, observed at a distance of about 11.6 billion light-years (roughly 3 billion years after the Big Bang). The jet spans over 300,000 light-years and carries particles moving at roughly 92–98% of the speed of light. It is visible in X-rays because high-energy electrons in the jet collide with the much denser cosmic microwave background at that epoch, boosting microwave photons into X-ray energies. These results were presented at the 246th AAS meeting and accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.

Discovery of the Distant X-ray Jet

According to the study, Chandra’s high-resolution X-ray imaging, combined with radio data, allowed the team to isolate the jet at such a great distance. At the quasar’s distance (about 3 billion years after the Big Bang), the cosmic microwave background was much denser. As a result, relativistic electrons in the jet efficiently scatter CMB photons to X-ray energies. From the multiwavelength data the researchers infer that the jet’s particles are moving at roughly 0.92–0.98 c. Such near-light-speed outflows are among the fastest known.

These powerful jets carry enormous energy into intergalactic space and provide a unique probe of how black holes influenced their surroundings during the universe’s early “cosmic noon” era.

Chandra’s Future at Risk

However, the Chandra mission now faces possible defunding: NASA’s proposed budget calls for drastic cuts to its operating funds. For nearly 25 years, Chandra has been a cornerstone of X-ray astronomy, so its loss would constitute a major setback. The SaveChandra campaign warns that losing Chandra would be an “extinction-level event” for U.S. X-ray astronomy. Scientists warn that ending Chandra prematurely would cripple X-ray science.

Andrew Fabian commented Science magazine, “I’m horrified by the prospect of Chandra being shut down prematurely”. Elisa Costantini added in an interview with Science that if cuts proceed, “you will lose a whole generation ” and it will leave “a hole in our knowledge” of high-energy astrophysics. Without Chandra’s capabilities, many studies of the energetic universe would no longer be possible.

Continue Reading

Science

JWST Reveals Pluto’s Haze Cools Atmosphere, Paints Charon’s Poles Red

Published

20 hours ago

on

June 15, 2025

By

JWST Reveals Pluto’s Haze Cools Atmosphere, Paints Charon’s Poles Red

Pluto and its moon Charon are shown with a thin haze of organic particles covering Pluto’s sunlit side. The haze both cools Pluto’s upper atmosphere by radiating heat into space and absorbs ultraviolet light that helps propel methane molecules to escape. This explains why Pluto’s mesosphere is colder than expected and why methane is leaking and even coating Charon’s poles red. The effect was predicted by Xi Zhang, and new JWST/MIRI observations confirm it. The results have implications for understanding Titan’s haze and Earth’s early atmosphere.

A Haze that Cools and Warms Pluto

According to a new study, using JWST’s mid-infrared observations, a team led by Tanguy Bertrand detected thermal emission from this haze layer. The tiny aerosol particles are thought to be complex hydrocarbons (“tholins”) and ices. These particles absorb the Sun’s ultraviolet light, heating the upper atmosphere and giving methane molecules extra energy. The haze then re-radiates that energy as infrared light, cooling the middle layers.

In fact, Zhang’s models show Pluto’s gases alone would overheat the mesosphere, so the haze must supply net cooling to balance the energy budget. Together, these effects mean the haze largely controls Pluto’s atmospheric energy balance. How much net warming versus cooling occurs depends on particle size and composition.

Haze Drives Escape and Paints Charon Red

Pluto’s atmosphere is so thin that any nudge can send molecules into space. Planetary scientist Will Grundy estimated Pluto loses about 1.3 kg/s of methane, with roughly 2.5% intercepted by Charon. The haze layer provides that nudge: its particles absorb solar UV light, heating molecules until they can escape Pluto’s gravity. The escaping methane then deposits on Charon’s poles, where radiation transforms it into complex, reddish tholin compounds.

This process effectively lets Pluto “paint” Charon’s poles with organic red stain—a phenomenon not seen elsewhere in the Solar System. By linking Pluto’s climate and Charon’s surface chemistry, the haze-driven escape provides a rare example of atmospheric exchange on icy worlds.

Continue Reading

Trending