Aditya-L1 mission starts collecting solar wind data; Know what ISRO has revealed

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Aditya-L1 mission, India's maiden solar mission, is dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the sun. Recently, it has achieved a significant milestone by initiating observations of solar wind. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared the successful activation of the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload. Check here to know all about this recent achievement.

ISRO shared that the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload onboard the satellite has commenced its operations and is performing normally. The ISRO also shared an image on X (formerly Twitter) that illustrates the energy variations in proton and alpha particle counts captured by the new payload. ISRO posted, “The Solar Wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS), the second instrument in the Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload is operational. The histogram illustrates the energy variations in proton and alpha particle counts captured by SWIS over 2-days.”

We are now on WhatsApp. Click to join.

As shared in a document by ISRO, the ASPEX comprises two instruments - the Solar wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS) and STEPS (SupraThermal and Energetic Particle Spectrometer). While STEPS started its operation on September 10, the SWIS instrument was activated on Saturday and has exhibited optimal performance. SWIS, equipped with two sensor units offering a 360° field of view each, operates in perpendicular planes. It has effectively measured solar wind ions, focusing on protons and alpha particles.

The recently shared image by ISRO on social media illustrates the energy variations in proton (H+) and alpha particle (He2+) counts captured by SWIS over a two-day period in November 2023. This data is vital for understanding solar wind