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HEL1OS captures x-ray glimpse of benign solar flame

HEL1OS (High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer) is able to detect X-rays from the Sun.

ISRO's Aditya-L1 solar mission / ISRO

Aditya-L1, India's first solar observatory, has seen a "benign" solar flare and has identified high intensity X-rays released by the Sun while traveling towards the L1 location for solar research, ISRO announced. By early January, the spacecraft will arrive at its destination and enter an orbit around the L1 point, according to the space agency.

An instrument called HEL1OS (High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer) is able to detect X-rays from the Sun. X-rays are extremely powerful radiation that are invisible to the human eye. HEL1OS is a component of the Aditya-L1 project, an extensive satellite mission launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to investigate the Sun. 

HEL1OS observes the hard X-rays emitted by the Sun using two different kinds of detectors. One type is cadmium telluride, or CdTe, and the other is cadmium zinc telluride, or CZT. These are one-of-a-kind materials that can convert harsh X-rays into quantifiable and measurable signals.

It was created by the Space Astronomy Group of the U. R. Rao Satellite Centre, ISRO, Bengaluru, with assistance from other center departments. First activated on October 27, 2023, HEL1OS has been monitoring the Sun for hard X-ray activity ever since.

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