The coronagraph was designed and built by the IIA in collaboration with the ISRO to help researchers understand the solar corona and provide data for space weather studies. “Presently, there are no coronagraphs in operation other than VELC to routinely observe the near-Sun corona and the eruptions there. We were trying to observe a CME during its onset phase and could successfully do it for the event on July 16. “With the Sun approaching the maximum phase of the current solar cycle 25, the CMEs are expected to occur frequently everyday. Hence, continuous monitoring of the Sun with VELC is expected to provide valuable scientific data,” said the principal investigator.

Source: Indian Express November 05, 2024 02:31 UTC