Aryaans Institute organized a distinguished academic guest lecture by Dr. Murchana Khusroo, PhD in Physics, currently serving as an Assistant Professor at University of Science and technology, Meghalaya.Dr. Khusroo is a young and accomplished researcher in the field of solar physics and is notably the only professional from North East India to be leading an ISRO project associated with the Aditya-L1 mission.
The lecture began with an engaging animated presentation of the Sun, encouraging students to move beyond the basic perceptions formed during childhood and to understand the Sun from a scientific perspective. Dr. Khusroo explained that the Sun is classified as a G2V yellow dwarf star and described it as a hot ball of plasma, functioning as a natural unmanned laboratory composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. She introduced the concept of the inner heliosphere and explained it in a clear and accessible manner.
She further explained the layers of the Sun in a simple and structured way, making complex concepts easy to understand. The lecture also highlighted the contributions of Eugene Newman Parker, acknowledged as the founder of solar physics. Dr. Khusroo provided a detailed explanation of solar winds, defining them as a continuous stream of plasma flowing from the Sun’s corona. Using animated visualizations, she clearly differentiated between slow and fast solar winds. She explained how the Earth’s magnetosphere protects the planet from the effects of these solar winds and elaborated on the formation of the Aurora Borealis, linking solar activity to observable natural phenomena on Earth.
A significant portion of the lecture focused on the Aditya-L1 mission. Dr. Khusroo explained the concept of Lagrange points, with particular emphasis on the L1 point, and discussed the advantages of placing the Aditya-L1 spacecraft at this location. She clearly outlined the objectives of the mission, which include understanding solar processes, studying the Sun’s influence on climate, and improving space weather prediction capabilities. She explained the seven scientific payloads of the mission in detail, supported by images of instruments such as VELC, and introduced students to the heliophysics observatory framework. She also briefly shared information about the scientists and teams involved in the mission, highlighting the collaborative nature of large-scale space research.
Towards the end of the session, Dr. Khusroo shared insights into her own research project on the multi-spacecraft investigation of solar wind dynamics through solitary wave analysis, providing students with exposure to current research methodologies in solar physics.
The guest lecture was academically enriching and successfully enhanced students’ understanding of solar physics, space science, and contemporary research initiatives. It fostered scientific curiosity, critical thinking, and awareness of India’s contributions to space research.
Prepared by
Sanika Takkekar
Class XI