Aditya-L1 and Proba-3 together trace how a coronal mass ejection gains its energy
17 October 2026
Researchers led by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, have used coordinated observations from India's Aditya-L1 and the European Space Agency's Proba-3 to study two coronal mass ejections.
Aditya-L1's Visible Emission Line Coronagraph captured both eruptions early, complementing Proba-3's ASPIICS instrument and allowing independent estimates of mass, density and energy.
The eruption of 14 September 2025 travelled at about 645 km a second, and its thermal energy was only about 1 per cent of its total energy.
The eruption of 16 September 2025 moved at about 145 km a second, and its thermal energy rose until it matched its kinetic energy.
Magnetic energy was comparable to or greater than kinetic energy in both events, and the authors argue that combining white-light imaging with spectroscopy improves understanding of these eruptions in the Sun's inner corona.
In plain words
CME Coronal Mass Ejection — A large release of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun's corona into space.
VELC Visible Emission Line Coronagraph — The main Indian-built payload on Aditya-L1, which observes the Sun's inner corona.
SDSC SHAR Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota — India's launch site, on Sriharikota island in Andhra Pradesh, from where Aditya-L1 was launched.