Topics Covered: Awareness in space.
Chandrayaan-2:
Context:
Chandrayaan-2, hovering over the Moon, has found new developments on the hot outermost layer of the bright star known as Corona. These include:
- Abundances of magnesium, aluminium and silicon in the solar corona.
- Around 100 microflares were observed, providing new insights about coronal mass heating.
Reasons behind coronal heating problem:
The corona emits ultraviolet, X-rays and consists of ionised gas at temperatures exceeding 2 million degrees Fahrenheit, while just 1,000 miles below, the surface known as the photosphere simmers at just 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This mysterious difference in temperatures is called the coronal heating problem.
- As per the latest findings, the high temperatures could be due to strong magnetic fields present above the Sunspots (dark patches seen in visible images of the Sun).
Chandrayaan-2 Mission:
The Chandrayaan-2 mission, which was lost after it hard landed on the dark side of the Moon in 2019, remains active in the form of its orbiter hovering over the Moon.
Scientists used the Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM) onboard Chandrayaan-2 in September 2019 to study the Sun.
- The primary objective of Chandrayaan 2 was to demonstrate the ability to soft-land on the lunar surface and operate a robotic rover on the surface.
- The mission consisted of an Orbiter of the Moon, Vikram (after Vikram Sarabhai) – the lander and Pragyan (wisdom) – the rover, all equipped with scientific instruments to study the moon.
Insta Curious:
Do you know about Solar Prominence? Read Here
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- About Chandrayaan-2.
- Objectives.
- Instruments onboard.
- Chandrayaan-1.
Mains Link:
Discuss the significance of Chandrayaan-2 mission.
Sources: India Today.
