ISRO chief S. Somanath explains why Aditya L1 spacecraft will not witness Total Solar Eclipse in India
Today, a rare Solar Eclipse will be visible in various parts of the world. While those in North America can witness the event in person, individuals in other countries can watch a live stream on platforms such as NASA TV and Google TV. The eclipse is expected to last for several hours, making it a significant celestial event worth experiencing. Unfortunately, ISRO’s Aditya L1 spacecraft, currently monitoring the Sun, will not be able to observe the Total Solar Eclipse due to its positioning. The Chairman of ISRO has shared more details in a recent statement.
ISRO’s Aditya L1 spacecraft fails to capture a total solar eclipse
The Aditya L1 spacecraft was launched in 2023 to study the workings of the Sun. It is currently in a halo orbit of Lagrange point 1 (L1), which provides an unobstructed view of the Sun. The position of the spacecraft was planned very precisely, which is why it cannot witness a total solar eclipse. ISRO chose such a location for this particular reason, as ISRO did not want the research to be affected by any obscuration or eclipses. NDTV quoted ISRO Chairman S. Somanath as saying, “The Aditya L1 spacecraft will not see the solar eclipse because the moon is behind the spacecraft, at Lagrange point 1 (the L1 point), the eclipse seen on Earth does not have much significance at that location.”
Hence, the Aditya L1 spacecraft misses a rare celestial event, even though it is very close to the sun, but on purpose. The L1 point is located 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, which gives the spacecraft a clear view of the Sun. The spacecraft was placed in halo orbit on January 6, 2024, and since then it has been actively studying the activity of the Sun. Somanath also highlighted how the spacecraft will create its own artificial solar eclipse to study the Sun. Somanath said, “A solar eclipse is created in a coronagraph by removing light from the disk of the Sun.” Additionally, Nigar Shaji, project director of the Aditya L1 mission, said, “Because of the eclipse, nothing special will happen to the Sun.”
