Science and Technology › Space
हिन्दी — Read in HindiAstronomy and cosmology
Astronomy and cosmology: telescopes and observatories, stars, black holes and neutron stars, exoplanets, dark matter and dark energy, the Sun's cycle and space weather, eclipses, comets and asteroids. Prelims has asked about Cepheids, nebulae and pulsars, and about solar flares.
UPSC has asked
- Prelims 2023: Cepheids, nebulae and pulsars
Showing 2 of 4 articles, those that changed from 1 July to 30 September 2026.Show all
The Sun: corona, flares and storms
Copy link to The Sun: corona, flares and stormsPrelims
The corona is the Sun's outermost atmosphere, too faint to see against the glare of the solar disc.
- A total eclipse, seen from the narrow path of totality, is the best way to see it from the ground; a coronagraph blocks the disc artificially.
- Its magnetic field drives solar flares, the sudden release of magnetic energy built up in the Sun's atmosphere, and coronal mass ejections, clouds of plasma thrown towards Earth.
- These disturb satellites, navigation and communications.
- Flares are classed by intensity, C, M and X, and geomagnetic storms on a G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme) scale; the two are graded separately.
- Auroras form when charged particles caught by Earth's magnetic field collide with oxygen and nitrogen near the poles.
- From India's low latitude, observers look at a region where oxygen glows red, so auroras appear crimson.
Two scales
| Scale | Grades, weakest to strongest | This event |
|---|---|---|
| Flare class | C, M, X | M1.8 flare |
| G scale of geomagnetic storms | G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme) | G2 storm forecast |
What changed
13 Aug 2026BriefA total solar eclipse crossed Greenland, western Iceland, northern Spain, north eastern Portugal and northern Russia, Europe's first in 27 years; it was not seen from India. The Hindu, 13 Aug 2026: Total solar eclipse over northern Spain (opens in a new tab)
Show history (1 other update)
8 Jun 2026BriefA plasma cloud from an M1.8 flare reached Earth with a G2 storm forecast by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Auroras were expected over Kashmir, upper Uttarakhand and Ladakh; a G5 storm in 2024 produced auroras visible in India. The Indian Express, 8 Jun 2026: Billion-tonne plasma cloud blazing towards Earth: Solar flare expected today (opens in a new tab) · The Hindu, 8 Jun 2026: Northern lights in India? Here's how to see Auroras tonight (opens in a new tab)
UPSC has asked
- Prelims 2025: solar flares and coronal mass ejections striking the outer atmosphere
- Prelims 2022: effects of a major solar storm on the Earth
Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle
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The Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle in Ladakh, at 4,517 metres, is run remotely from Bengaluru by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and gives more than 250 usable nights a year with very little water vapour.
What changed
29 Jul 2026BriefThe 2 metre Himalayan Chandra Telescope at Hanle has completed 25 years. The budget has announced a 3.7 metre upgraded telescope and a 13.7 metre National Large Optical Infrared Telescope, both at Hanle. PIB, 29 Jul 2026: Celebrating 25 years of the Himalayan Chandra Telescope in Hanle (opens in a new tab)
See also: The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve
Also filed elsewhere
- Space weather forecasting from Aditya-L1 · on Moon, Sun and planetary missions
Space weather forecasting is the attempt to read the Sun's atmosphere for a sign of a solar flare hours before it erupts.
- The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve · on Chemicals, noise, light and soil pollution
The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) in Ladakh is India's first and only dark sky reserve, notified by Ladakh's administration in December 2022.