CORONAL
MASS EJECTIONS – SCI & TECH
News:
Aditya-L1'S PAPA Detects
Impact of Coronal Mass Ejections on Solar Wind
What's
in the news?
●
The Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya
(PAPA) payload on board Aditya-L1 satellite has successfully detected the
impact of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on solar wind, including CME events
that occurred.
Key
takeaways:
●
PAPA
has two sensors — Solar Wind Electron Energy Probe (SWEEP) to measure electrons
and Solar Wind Ion Composition Analyser (SWICAR) to measure ions.
●
Both sensors can also detect the direction
of arrival of solar wind particles.
Coronal
Mass Ejections (CMEs):
●
CMEs are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun’s corona
that propagate outward into interplanetary space.
●
During a CME, the Sun releases a colossal
amount of material, including electrons, protons, and heavier ions, as well as
magnetic fields. This ejected material travels at high speeds into space.
Causes:
●
CMEs are typically triggered by the destabilisation of the Sun's magnetic
fields.
●
The exact mechanisms are complex, but they
often involve the reconfiguration or disruption of magnetic loops on the Sun's
surface.
●
CMEs
are distinct from solar flares,
although they often occur together. Solar flares are sudden and intense bursts
of energy and radiation, whereas CMEs involve the expulsion of solar material.
Impact
on Earth:
1.
Geomagnetic Storms:
●
The interaction between the CME's magnetic
fields and Earth's magnetosphere can lead to geomagnetic storms. These can disrupt satellite communications,
navigation systems, and even power grids.
2.
Auroras:
●
CMEs can cause spectacular displays of the
Northern and Southern Lights, also known as auroras, by energising particles in
Earth's atmosphere.
3.
Radiation Hazards:
●
Astronauts in space or passengers on
high-altitude flights can be exposed to elevated levels of radiation during a
CME event.
Go
back to basics:
Solar
Flare:
●
A solar flare is an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy
associated with sunspots.
●
Flares are our solar system’s largest
explosive events.
●
They are seen as bright areas in the sun,
and they can last from minutes to hours.
●
In a matter of just a few minutes, they
heat the material to many millions of degrees and produce a burst of radiation
across the electromagnetic spectrum, including from radio waves to x-rays and
gamma rays.
●
Although solar flares can be visible in
white light, they are often more readily noticed via their bright X-ray and
ultraviolet emissions.
Effect
of Solar Flare on Earth:
●
The intense radiation emitted during a
solar flare can affect satellite communications, disrupt radio signals, and
even pose a risk to astronauts in space.
●
Additionally, the increased solar
radiation can lead to geomagnetic storms, which may impact power grids and
cause auroras (northern and southern lights) at lower latitudes.