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Why In News?

Q: What are coronal mass ejections?

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are enormous, high-speed bubbles of magnetized plasma and billions of tons of solar particles violently expelled from the Sun's outer atmosphere into interplanetary space.

The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operationalizes SOLAR-1 to provide early warnings for space weather events.

What is SOLAR-1?

SOLAR-1 (Space Weather Observations at L1 to Advance Readiness – 1) operates as the first U.S. satellite designed exclusively for continuous, operational space weather observation.

The spacecraft travels nearly 1 million miles to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 (L1).

Lagrange point 1 (L1) is a gravitational equilibrium position between the Sun and Earth, located approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth towards the Sun.
It provides a constant, unobstructed view of the Sun, making it the perfect location for solar wind and space weather monitoring.

The satellite replaces older systems like SOHO to ensure absolute continuity of solar wind monitoring and track Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).

About Space Weather

Space weather includes dynamic environmental conditions in space dictated by solar emissions, including solar flares, solar energetic particles, and CMEs.

Solar flares release intense X-rays that cause Radio Blackout Storms, degrading high-frequency (HF) radio communications on Earth's sunlit side.

Solar energetic particles penetrate satellite shielding, causing electrical failures and posing severe radiation hazards to astronauts.

CMEs trigger geomagnetic storms upon interacting with Earth’s magnetosphere, inducing hazardous currents in power grids and degrading GPS/GNSS accuracy.

Source: MONEYCONTROL

Attempt Daily Quiz

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements regarding the SOLAR-1 mission:

It is operated jointly by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the European Space Agency (ESA).
It is stationed at the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1) to continuously monitor solar wind and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).
The onboard compact coronagraph reduces the data delivery time for CME imagery to under 30 minutes.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, and 3

Answer: (b)

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: The SOLAR-1 mission (operated as an early warning beacon for space weather) is operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), not jointly by ISRO and ESA.

Statement 2 is correct: Like India's Aditya-L1 mission, SOLAR-1 is positioned in a deep space orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1) to continuously monitor the solar wind and track Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) before they reach Earth.

Statement 3 is correct: SOLAR-1 is equipped with a compact coronagraph (CCOR) that delivers CME imagery to space weather forecasters in under 30 minutes, a massive improvement compared to older observatories (like SOHO) which can take up to 8 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

SOLAR-1 (formerly SWFO-L1) is the first U.S. satellite designed exclusively for continuous, operational space weather observation. Operated by NOAA and parked at Lagrange Point 1, it provides early warnings for solar storms by streaming coronal mass ejection (CME) imagery and solar wind data to Earth.

Constant monitoring is critical to safeguard modern technology-dependent infrastructure by giving operators vital lead time to protect electrical power grids, orbital satellites, and aviation navigation systems from severe radiation damage.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are enormous, high-speed bubbles of magnetized plasma and billions of tons of solar particles violently expelled from the Sun's outer atmosphere into interplanetary space.

When solar storms strike Earth's magnetosphere, they trigger intense geomagnetic disturbances that cause widespread radio blackouts, scramble GPS accuracy, corrupt satellite electronics, and overload transformers on electrical grids.