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Source: TH
Context:
The May 2024 solar storm, called Gannon’s storm, was unusually powerful due to collision of two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) en route to Earth. These collisions caused a rare internal magnetic reconnection within the CMEs, intensifying their impact on Earth’s magnetosphere.
About Aditya‑L1
- Launch & Mission: Launched by ISRO in September 2023, Aditya‑L1 is India’s first dedicated mission to study the Sun.
- Launch Vehicle: PSLV‑XL (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle – XL configuration).
- Launch Site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
- Position: Placed at Lagrange Point 1 (L1), about 1.5 million km from Earth towards the Sun, providing an uninterrupted view of solar activity.
- Objective: Understand solar activity and its impact on space weather, climate, and Earth’s magnetosphere.
Key Findings
- Magnetic reconnection: Twisted magnetic field lines inside the CMEs snapped and rejoined in new configurations, increasing storm intensity.
- Scale: The reconnection region measured 1.3 million km across — nearly 100 times the Earth’s diameter.
- Multi-satellite observation: Aditya‑L1, alongside six U.S. spacecraft, provided 3‑D magnetic field mapping, confirming the reconnection process.
- Energetic particle bursts: Recorded by Aditya‑L1’s instruments, these bursts explained the storm’s unexpected strength.