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What did the VELC observations reveal about the coronal mass ejection, for the first time?

  1. A.That it expanded as a perfectly symmetric bubble
  2. B.That it expanded non-uniformly and became asymmetric
  3. C.That it did not move towards the Earth at all
  4. D.That it carried no ionised iron

Correct answer

B. That it expanded non-uniformly and became asymmetric

Explanation

The correct answer is that the eruption expanded non-uniformly and developed an asymmetric shape. Until this study a coronal mass ejection was thought to swell outward from the Sun like a simple symmetric bubble; the VELC spectra, read together with imaging from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and a three-dimensional model, showed that the expansion was uneven. Option A is wrong because it states the older belief that this work overturned. Option C is wrong because the significance of an asymmetric shape lies precisely in how it changes the eruption's speed and therefore its arrival time at the Earth. Option D is wrong because VELC studies the green emission line produced by highly ionised iron atoms in the corona, so ionised iron is central to the method rather than absent.

Read the full article: Aditya-L1 VELC Finds Solar Eruption Expands Asymmetrically

Practice Questions

Q2.Science & TechnologyHard

Which institution designed and fabricated the VELC payload of Aditya-L1?

  1. A.Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad
  2. B.Indian Institute of Astrophysics
  3. C.Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
  4. D.Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Indian Institute of Astrophysics

The coronagraph was designed and fabricated at the institute's MGK Menon Lab for Space Sciences on the CREST campus at Hosakote, with substantial support from ISRO, and the scientists who carried out this study also belong to the IIA: the lead author is Saurabh Tripathi, a research student there, the…

Q3.Science & TechnologyMedium

In which journal was the study on asymmetric expansion of the solar eruption published?

  1. A.Nature Astronomy
  2. B.Astrophysical Journal Letters
  3. C.Current Science
  4. D.Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Astrophysical Journal Letters

The paper reporting that the coronal mass ejection did not expand as a symmetric bubble appeared in that journal, and it was based on the eruption that occurred on 5 August 2024, observed from an active region near the western limb of the Sun.

Q4.Science & TechnologyHard

Which statement about global geothermal capacity at the end of 2025 is correct?

  1. A.It stood at 15.67 GW, with Indonesia among the leading countries
  2. B.It stood at 159.8 GW, led by China
  3. C.It stood at 45.2 GW, led by India
  4. D.It stood at 8.9 GW, led by Iceland
Show answer
Correct answer: A. It stood at 15.67 GW, with Indonesia among the leading countries

Installed geothermal capacity across the world reached a little over fifteen and a half gigawatts by the close of that year, and five countries, namely Indonesia, the United States, the Philippines, Turkiye and New Zealand, together accounted for roughly sixty-seven per cent of it.

Q5.Science & TechnologyMedium

How many hot springs and geothermal provinces has the Geological Survey of India mapped?

  1. A.340 hot springs and 7 provinces
  2. B.381 hot springs and 10 provinces
  3. C.412 hot springs and 12 provinces
  4. D.381 hot springs and 14 provinces
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 381 hot springs and 10 provinces

The provinces run across very different terrains, from the Himalayan belt and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the West Coast, the Cambay Graben, the Son-Narmada-Tapi zone and the cratonic region of southern India.