Udaipur scientists unravel solar mystery:Three solar observatory scientists analyse data from Aditya-L1 and NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

Three scientists from the Udaipur Solar Observatory have analysed data from India’s Aditya-L1 mission and NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory to study a powerful solar flare. The plasma temperature during the event reached 22 million Kelvin (around 22 million degrees Celsius). According to the scientists, the energy released was equivalent to millions of 100-megaton hydrogen bombs exploding simultaneously. If such an event affects Earth, it could disrupt satellites, communication networks and power systems. The study found that a massive magnetic structure in the Sun’s corona, its outermost atmospheric layer, rose rapidly but was prevented from escaping by an overlying magnetic layer. The Udaipur scientists analysed an X2.0-class solar flare that occurred on 31 October 2024. The research was conducted by Dr Vishw Vijay Singh and Dr NPS Mithun under the guidance of Dr Bhuvan Joshi. The study was published in the prestigious American journal The Astrophysical Journal in October 2026. The findings showed that despite the production of extremely hot plasma and energetic particles during the flare, a strong magnetic field could contain the entire event within the Sun’s atmosphere. Magnetic structure rose at 204 km per second but remained trapped During the powerful solar flare, a massive structure made of hot gas and magnetic fields, known as a magnetic flux rope, rose rapidly towards the outer atmosphere. Its speed reached 204 kilometres per second. However, a layer of large magnetic loops above it prevented the structure from escaping the Sun. As a result, despite the intensity of the flare, no coronal mass ejection (CME), a massive cloud of material released by the Sun, travelled into space. According to the scientists, the event demonstrates that the structure of the magnetic field, along with the intensity of a solar flare, determines whether solar material can escape into space. The researchers found that the flare occurred in two stages. During the first stage, the plasma temperature reached around 19 million Kelvin, while the flare intensity was classified as M4.6. Temperature rose to 22 million Kelvin in second stage During the second stage, the temperature increased to 22 million Kelvin and the flare intensified to the X2.0 class. Data from Aditya-L1 recorded X-ray signals of up to 60 kilo-electron volts during the first stage and 150 kilo-electron volts during the second. These observations helped scientists understand the behaviour of hot plasma and high-speed particles. Around 20 minutes after the main flare, ultraviolet emissions in the Sun’s atmosphere became more intense. This brightening continued for nearly an hour. Hot plasma remained trapped inside the large magnetic loops for an extended period. Some material was observed flowing downwards at speeds ranging from 100 to 500 kilometres per second. Following the flare, a new filament made of cool and dense material also developed in the same region. This provides further insight into the process of magnetic field reorganisation on the Sun.