Sun Nov 09 05:51:18 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary of the article and a rewritten version as a news article:
Summary:
The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Aditya-L1 mission, equipped with the VELC payload, has yielded groundbreaking observations of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) very close to the Sun. Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), in collaboration with NASA, used VELC to estimate critical parameters of a CME. These are the first spectroscopic observations of a CME in the visible wavelength range so close to the Sun. The observations, made possible by Aditya-L1’s strategic position at the Sun-Earth Lagrangian L1 point, provide a 24/7 view of the Sun. Researchers have calculated the electron density, energy, mass, temperature, and speed of the observed CME. The findings are crucial for understanding the amount of material lost from the Sun during these events, especially as the Sun approaches the peak of its current activity cycle.
News Article:
India’s Aditya-L1 Mission Provides Unprecedented Look at Solar Eruption
Bengaluru, November 9, 2025 – India’s Aditya-L1 solar mission is making waves in the scientific community with groundbreaking observations of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) in unprecedented detail. Scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), in collaboration with NASA, have used the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) instrument onboard Aditya-L1 to capture the first spectroscopic observations of a CME in the visible wavelength range extremely close to the Sun’s surface.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft, launched in 2023, is positioned at the Sun-Earth Lagrangian point L1, providing a continuous, unobstructed view of the Sun. This strategic location has enabled researchers to study CMEs like never before.
“The unique spectroscopic observations with the VELC has let us study the CMEs very close to the Sun’s visible surface itself, for the first time,” stated Dr. V. Muthupriyal, VELC Project Scientist.
Prof. R. Ramesh, Principal Investigator of the VELC project at IIA, highlighted the significance of the findings, noting that these are the closest spectroscopic observations of a CME ever obtained in the visible wavelength range.
The team’s analysis revealed that the observed CME contained approximately 370 million electrons per cubic centimeter, dwarfing the electron density of the non-CME corona. They also calculated the CME’s energy to be approximately 9.4 * 10^21 Joules, significantly greater than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The CME’s mass was estimated at 270 million tons, and its initial speed was clocked at 264 kilometers per second, with a temperature of 1.8 million degrees Kelvin.
According to Prof. Ramesh, understanding these parameters so close to the Sun is vital for determining how much material is ejected during a CME event. This information is crucial for predicting space weather and its potential impact on Earth.
As the Sun approaches the maximum activity phase of its current solar cycle, scientists anticipate more frequent and powerful eruptions. The VELC instrument is poised to capture even more detailed data, providing invaluable insights into the Sun’s dynamic behavior.
First Piper 