NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is a solar mission by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It is the first spacecraft to fly into the Sun’s corona, its outermost atmosphere.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the fastest man-made object in history on September 27, 2023, when it reached a speed of 3,94,736 miles per hour (6,35,291 kilometres per hour).
Aditya-L1 distance from the Sun will be about 148.5 million kilometres (9,25,000 miles). Whereas, Parker Solar Probe will come within about 3.9 million miles (6.2 million kilometres) of the Sun at its closest approach.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), on September 2, 2023, successfully launched its first solar mission ‘Aditya-L1’ to study the Sun. On September 30, 2023, Aditya-L1 successfully escaped the Earth’s sphere of influence and is currently on its way to settle around 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth into a halo orbit around Earth-Sun Lagrange point L1 from where it will have an uninterrupted view of the Sun.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is a spacecraft that was launched on August 12, 2018, to study the Sun up close and personal. It is the first spacecraft to fly through the Sun’s corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun. The probe is named after Eugene Parker, a solar physicist who predicted the existence of the solar wind in the 1950s.
ISRO’s Aditya-L1 Vs NASA’s Parker Solar Probe
Aditya L1 is a solar mission by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). It is the first Indian mission dedicated to studying the Sun. The mission, expected to operate for at least five years, will be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system (approximately 1.5 million km from the Earth).
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is a solar mission by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It is also the fastest spacecraft ever built, travelling at speeds of up to 4,30,000 miles per hour (7,00,000 kilometres per hour). NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the fastest man-made object in history on September 27, 2023, when it reached a speed of 3,94,736 miles per hour (6,35,291 kilometres per hour). This is nearly twice as fast as a bolt of lightning and 200 times faster than a rifle bullet.
On its eighth attempt in April 2021, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe flew through the corona, passing by structures called coronal streamers.
Where Will Aditya-L1 And Parker Solar Probe Be Placed?
Aditya L1 will be placed in a large halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point L1. This is a point in space that is located about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. The L1 point is a stable location where the gravitational forces of the Sun and Earth balance each other out. Aditya-l1 distance from the Sun will be about 148.5 million kilometres (9,25,000 miles).
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will fly more than seven times closer to the Sun than any spacecraft before. Over seven years, the spacecraft will complete 24 orbits around the Sun, coming within about 3.9 million miles (6.2 million kilometres) of the Sun at its closest approach.
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Which Layers of The Sun Will Aditya-L1 And Parker Solar Probe Study?
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft payloads (instruments) will study the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona). The spacecraft will provide the most crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particles and fields etc.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is the first spacecraft to fly into the Sun’s corona, its outermost atmosphere. The spacecraft will study magnetic fields, plasma, and energetic particles, and image the solar wind. It is collecting measurements and images to help us better understand the origin and evolution of the solar wind, a stream of charged particles that flows out from the Sun and into space.
What Instruments Are Both Solar Missions Carrying To Study The Sun?
Aditya-L1 is carrying the following seven instruments:
(i) Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) to study the solar corona and dynamics of Coronal Mass Ejections.
(ii) Solar Ultra-violet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) for imaging the Solar Photosphere and Chromosphere in near Ultra-violet (UV). It also measures the solar irradiance variations in near UV.
(iii) Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) to study the X-ray flares from the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range.
(iv) High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) to study the X-ray flares from the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range.
(v and vi) Aditya Solar Wind Particle EXperiment (ASPEX) and Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) to study the solar wind and energetic ions, as well as their energy distribution.
(vii) Advanced Tri-axial High-Resolution Digital Magnetometers to measure interplanetary magnetic fields at the L1 point.
Parker Solar Probe is carrying a total of four instruments:
(i) Fields Experiment (FIELDS) measures the electric and magnetic fields in the solar corona and solar wind.
(ii) Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (ISʘIS) measures the plasma and dust in the solar corona and solar wind.
(iii) Wide Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) measures the composition and energy of the particles in the solar wind.
(iv) Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) will take images of the solar corona and solar wind.
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