Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope Latest News

The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) instrument onboard Aditya-L1 observed an X6.3-class solar flare recently, one of the most intense categories of solar eruptions. 

About Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope

• It is one of the remote sensing payloads on board the Aditya-L1, the first dedicated solar mission of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), that was launched on September 02, 2023.
• It was developed by Pune’s Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in close collaboration with various ISRO Centres.
• SUIT is designed to provide near-simultaneous full-disk and region-of-interest images of the Sun at various heights, slicing through the photosphere and chromosphere.
• It employs an array of 11 scientifically calibrated filters (3 broad-band & 8 narrow-band) strategically positioned within the wavelength range of 200 to 400 nanometers.
• Located at the first Lagrange point, SUIT observes the Sun 24x7, without any interruption.
• The primary scientific objective of SUIT is to scrutinize the dynamic interplay within the magnetized solar atmosphere, delving into the intricacies of energetic phenomena such as jets, flares, filament evolution, and eruptions. 
• Furthermore, SUIT, for the first time ever, will help scientists to measure and monitor the spatially resolved solar spectral irradiance within the wavelength range crucial to comprehend the intricacies of the sun-climate relationship.

What is a Solar Flare?

• A solar flare is a sudden and intense burst of solar energy from the Solar atmosphere. 
• Flares are our solar system’s largest explosive events. 
• They are seen as bright areas in the sun, and they can last from minutes to hours.
• The phenomenon is caused by the Sun's magnetic field. 
  • The magnetic field of the Sun is very dynamic in nature. 
  • Sometimes they suddenly snap and release intense bursts of energy – like a powerful, short flash. 
  • The energy is released in the form of light/radiation and high energy charged particles.
• Although solar flares can be visible in white light, they are often more readily noticed via their bright X-ray and ultraviolet emissions.
• Effect of Solar Flare on Earth:
  • The intense radiation emitted during a solar flare can affect satellite communications, disrupt radio signals, and even pose a risk to astronauts in space.
  • Additionally, the increased solar radiation can lead to geomagnetic storms, which may impact power grids and cause auroras (northern and southern lights) at lower latitudes.

Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope FAQs

Q1. Who made the SUIT telescope?

Ans. It was developed by Pune’s Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).

Q2. How much did Aditya-L1 cost?

Ans. 3.78 billion Indian rupees ($45.5 million)

Q3. What is the main purpose of Aditya-L1?

Ans. The main purpose of Aditya-L1 is to study the Sun, particularly its outermost layers, and understand its impact on space weather.

Source: IE

Naval Anti-Ship Missile (NASM-SR) Latest News

Recently, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy carried out successful flight-trials of the first-of-its-kind Naval Anti-Ship missile (NASM-SR) from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.

About Naval Anti-Ship Missile (NASM-SR)

• It has a Man-in-Loop feature – which allows in-flight retargeting accurately.
• It was launched in Bearing-only Lock-on after launch mode, selecting a target among several in close vicinity.
• It uses an Indigenous Imaging Infra-Red Seeker for terminal guidance.
• It also uses an indigenous Fiber Optic Gyroscope-based INS and Radio Altimeter for its Mid-course guidance, an Integrated avionics module, Electro-Mechanical actuators for Aerodynamic and Jet vane control, thermal batteries and PCB warhead.
• It uses solid propulsion with an in-line ejectable booster and a long-burn sustainer. The missile is developed by different labs of DRDO including Research Centre Imarat, Defence Research and Development Laboratory, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory and Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory. 
• It has a high-bandwidth two-way datalink system, for real-time transmission of seeker images back to the pilot for in-flight retargeting (Man-in-Loop feature).
• DRDO & Indian Navy successfully conduct flight-trials of first-of-its-kind Naval Anti-Ship missile

Naval Anti-Ship Missile (NASM-SR) FAQs

Q1: What is the full form of NASM SR?

Ans: Naval Anti-Ship Missile Short Range (NASM-SR)

Q2: What is the difference between ballistic and anti ballistic missiles?

Ans: A ballistic missile is a weapon that delivers warheads, while an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) intercepts and destroys ballistic missiles. 

Source: PIB

Biodiversity Leak Latest News

Recently, a study published in Science journal highlighted biodiversity leakages happening across the globe.

About Biodiversity Leak

• Biodiversity Leakage is a phenomenon where the displacement of nature-damaging human activities caused by protecting or restoring areas of land.
• In this process conservation policies in one region inadvertently drive environmental degradation in another region.
• It occurs when restrictions on agricultural production in conservation areas lead to increased demand for imports from other regions, often rich in biodiversity.
• Biodiversity leakage is undermining global efforts to halt biodiversity loss.
• There are concerns that large-scale conservation initiatives in regions like Europe and China are causing production shortfalls for agricultural commodities. 

Measures to Mitigate Biodiversity Leakage

• Tracking changes in food or wood production within intervention areas as part of routine programme monitoring.
• Scrutinising projects that report near-zero losses in production to distinguish those with effective leakage mitigation from those with little or no conservation impact.
• Including explicit consideration of both local and long-range leakage in national and international conservation policies.
• Reducing demand for high-leakage goods and improving efficiencies in line with production decreases.
• Targeting conservation efforts in areas where biodiversity restoration will cause minimal displacement of production.
• Increasing yields within or near conservation project areas to offset losses.

Biodiversity Leak FAQs

 Q1. What causes loss of biodiversity?

Ans. This is largely due to human activities like deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and climate change. 

Q2. What is the meaning of biodiversity loss?

Ans. Biodiversity loss is the reduction of the variety of life in a given area.

Q3. What is called biodiversity?

Ans. Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, including the variety of genes, species, and ecosystems. 

Source: DTH

Ocelot Chip Latest News

Recently, Amazon unveiled a prototype of its first-ever in-house quantum computing chip called Ocelot.

About Ocelot Chip

• It is a new quantum computing chip with a nine-qubit chip that has been internally fabricated by Amazon.
• It is developed by the team at the Amazon Web Services Center for Quantum Computing at the California Institute of Technology.
• AWS used a novel design for Ocelot’s architecture, building error correction in from the ground up and using the ‘cat qubit’. Cat qubits–named after the famous Schrödinger's cat.
• It intrinsically suppresses certain forms of errors, reducing the resources required for quantum error correction. 
• It has been designed to help Amazon build highly efficient hardware systems.

Components of Ocelot Chip Chip

• The Ocelot chip consists of two integrated silicon microchips with an area of roughly one square centimeter each, bonded one on top of one another in an electrically-connected chip stack.
• It has 14 core components: five data qubits (the cat qubits), five ‘buffer circuits’ for stabilizing the data qubits, and four additional qubits for detecting errors on the data qubits.
• The cat qubits store the quantum states used for computation, for which it relies on components called oscillators, which generate a repetitive electrical signal along with steady timing.

Ocelot Chip FAQs

Q1. Why is Schrödinger's cat so famous?

Ans. Schrödinger's Cat is a famous thought experiment that demonstrates the idea in quantum physics that tiny particles can be in two states at once until they're observed.

Q2. What is qubit in quantum computing?

Ans. A qubit (or quantum bit) is the quantum mechanical analogue of a classical bit.

Q3. Where do you find ocelot Cats?

Ans. Ocelots require dense cover that is found in a variety of habitats, including thorn scrub, coastal marshes, mangrove, and tropical forests.

Source: IE

Bond Central Latest News

Markets regulator Sebi recently launched a centralized database portal for corporate bonds, Bond Central.

About Bond Central

• It is a centralized database portal for corporate bonds in India.
• It was launched by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in a bid to create a single, authentic source of information on such securities.
• It has been developed by the Online Bond Platform Providers Association (OBPP Association) in collaboration with Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs) comprising stock exchanges and depositories.
• It is intended as an information repository for the public at large and is accessible free of cost.
• This database is expected to enhance transparency and facilitate informed decision-making amongst investors and other market participants .
• It will be operated by the OBPP Association, which is a not-for-profit entity with support from MIIs.

Bond Central Features

• Listings: A unified view of corporate bonds across exchanges and issuers, ensuring transparency and comparison.
• Price Comparison: Investors can compare corporate bond priceswith Government Securities (G-Secs) and other fixed-income indices for better decision-making.
• Investor-Centric Information: Access to detailed risk assessments, corporate bond documents, and disclosures, enabling investors to evaluate opportunities effectively.
• Enhanced Transparency: The platform standardizes corporate bond-related data, reducing information asymmetry and thereby improving trust in the market.

Bond Central FAQs

Q1. What is bond market?

Ans. A bond market is a marketplace for debt securities. 

Q2. What is the difference between stocks and bonds?

Ans. Stocks give you ownership in a company, while bonds let you loan money to a company or government.

Q3. What is a zero coupon bond?

Ans. A zero-coupon bond is an investment in debt that does not pay interest but instead trades at a deep discount.

Source: BS

Auroville Latest News

Auroville celebrated its 57th birth anniversary with bonfire meditation at the Amphitheatre, Matrimandir, recently.

About Auroville

• Auroville is an experimental international township in South India (in Tamil Nadu, near Pondicherry) where thousands of residents from over 60 countries are exploring alternative ways of living, working, and being together peacefully.
• It was founded by Mirra Alfassa, known as the ‘Mother’, the spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo, on the 28th of February, 1968, as an international cultural township.
• It was designed by the famous architect Roger Anger.
• It is the largest and oldest surviving international intentional community in the world.
  • It has flourished from a barren desert to a 3,000-acre township and bioregion in which more than 3 million trees have been planted, home to rich biodiversity, 9 schools, multiple social enterprises, etc.
  • Auroville is a growing community of 2,700 people from 50 nations, and the vision for Auroville is that it belongs to nobody in particular but humanity as a whole.
• The Aurovilleans, as they call themselves, live together on the principles of peace, harmony, sustainable living, and 'divine consciousness' which was the philosophy of the Mother.
• UNESCO had endorsed the project of Auroville through four resolutions in 1966, 1968, 1970, and 1983. 
• The township is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Education since 1980 and is administered as per the provisions of the Auroville Foundation Act, 1988, passed by the Parliament of India.
• According to the provisions of the Auroville Foundation Act, the Government of India provides partial funding in the form of grants to the Foundation for meeting its expenditure on the establishment, maintenance, and development of Auroville.

Auroville FAQs

Q1. Is living in Auroville free?

Ans. Both Newcomers and Aurovilians contribute a fixed monthly amount towards Auroville. 

Q2. Who is the owner of Auroville?

Ans. The land and assets of Auroville are held by a Government-appointed body called the Auroville Foundation. 

Q3. Who controls Auroville?

Ans. The Township is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Education.

Source: TH

Exercise Desert Hunt 2025 Latest News

Exercise Desert Hunt 2025 was conducted at Air Force Station Jodhpur from 24 to 28 February 2025.

About Exercise Desert Hunt 2025

• It isan integrated Tri-Service Special Forces exercise conducted by the Indian Air Force.
• The exercise involved elite Para (Special Forces) from the Indian Army, the Marine Commandos from the Indian Navy along with the Garud (Special Forces) from the Indian Air Force, participating together in a simulated combat environment.
• Aim: This high-intensity drill was aimed at enhancing interoperability, coordination and synergy among the three Special Forces units to ensure swift and effective response towards emerging security challenges.
• The exercise included airborne insertion, precision strikes, hostage rescue, counter-terrorism operations, combat free falls and urban warfare scenarios wherein the combat readiness of the forces was tested under realistic conditions
• Senior military officials supervised the exercise to validate joint doctrines.
• Significance: It provided a platform to foster the commitment of the Indian Armed Forces to strengthen national security through seamless inter-service cooperation

Exercise Desert Hunt 2025 FAQs

Q1. What is the role of the Garud Commando special force?

Ans. The Garud commandos are the special forces of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Their tasks include counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, providing security to IAF's assets, and various air force-specific special operations.

Q2. What does a marine commando do?

Ans. They specialize in offshore operations; operations from sea to land and special operations on land

Source: PIB

Pardhi Community Latest News

Forest rights activists and lawyers across the country expressed their concern over the recent MP government order calling for extensive search and surveillance of nomadic tribes, including the Pardhi community, which is classified as a scheduled tribe.

About Pardhi Community

• Pardhis are a nomadic community that, since the time of the Mughal emperors, have been hired to help in shikar (hunting), whether it was for sport for the British or for the royal kitchens of the ‘zamindars’ (landowners). 
• They reside mainly in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and also in small pockets of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. 
• The word pardhi comes from paradh, which means hunter in the Marathi language.
• In 1871, the Pardhis were among the tribes notified as “hereditary and habitual criminals” under the colonial-era Criminal Tribes Act. 
• After independence, the Indian government “denotified” these communities in 1952. 
• Occupation: Though the major occupation of the Pardhi tribes is hunting and gathering, some have taken up diverse occupations like cultivation and some other occupations following the traditions of most of the tribes of the country.
• Language:
  • The main language of the Pardhi tribes is their local dialect, which is of the same name. 
  • Many of them also speak a dialect of the Gujarati language. 
  • In the northern parts of the country, they speak a combination of Hindi and Marwari. 
• Beliefs: 
  • Though they are officially Hindu,most of the Pardhi practice ethnic religions. 
  • They are firm believers in the spirit world and its influence on the physical world. 

Pardhi Community FAQs

Q1. What is the origin of Pardhi?

Ans. History indicates the origin of Pardhis as being Rajasthan and Gujarat region.

Q2. Pardhi Community resides in which states?

Ans. They reside mainly in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and also in small pockets of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

Q3. What is the religion of Pardhi Community?

Ans. Though they are officially Hindu, most of the Pardhi practice ethnic religions.

Source: NIE

Olive Ridley Turtle Latest News

A 16-year-long assessment of trends in turtle populations in India says the numbers of the Olive Ridley species suggest a “steady or growing” population. 

About Olive Ridley Turtle

• They are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
• It gets its name from the olive green colouration of its carapace (shell). 
• It is best known for its unique mass nesting, called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.

Distribution of Olive Ridley Turtle

• They are mainly found in the warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.
• Odisha’s Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is known as the world’s largest rookery (a colony of breeding animals) of sea turtles.

Features of Olive Ridley Turtle

• They are omnivorous, meaning they feed on both plants and animals.
• They are solitary, preferring the open ocean.
• These turtles spend their entire lives in the ocean, and migrate thousands of kilometers between feeding and mating grounds in the course of a year.

Conservation Status of Olive Ridley Turtle

• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 1
• CITES: Appendix I

Olive Ridley Turtle FAQs

Q1: What is the special fact of Olive Ridley's turtle?

Ans: The olive ridley gets its name from the olive green color of its heart-shaped shell. The species is among the smallest of the world's sea turtles

Q2: Which national park is famous for olive ridley turtles?

Ans: Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary

Q3: Which river is famous for olive ridley turtles?

Ans: Rushikulya river mouth

Source: TH

Border Roads Organisation Latest News

At least 14 more Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers were recently rescued from an avalanche in Mana, a high-altitude village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district.

About Border Roads Organisation

• It is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to the Indian Armed Forces.
• It works under the Ministry of Defence.
• Establishment: It was formed on 7 May 1960 to secure India's borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states of the country.
• It develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring countries.
  • This includes infrastructure operations in 19 states and three union territories (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tajikistan, and Sri Lanka.
• Over the years, the organisation has diversified into the construction of steel bridges, airfields, townships, tunneling works, and hydroelectric projects.
• In order to ensure coordination and expeditious execution of projects, the Government of India set up the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB) with the Prime Minister as Chairman of the Board and the Defence Minister as Deputy Chairman.
• Officers and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form the parent cadre of the BRO.
• It is also staffed by officers and troops drawn from the Indian Army's Corps of Engineers on extra regimental employment (on deputation).
• BRO is also included in the Order of Battle of the Armed Forces, ensuring their support at any time.
  • The BRO also has an operational role during national emergencies and the outbreak of hostilities, when it provides direct support to the Army in the maintenance of roads in the forward zones and executes other functions specified by the government.
  • It also provides the workforce for the rehabilitation of certain forward airfields of the Indian Air Force during operations. 
• One of BRO's notable achievements is the Atal Tunnel, which holds the distinction of being the world’s longest highway tunnel at 9.02 kilometers.
• Motto of the organization: Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam (everything is achievable through hard work).

Border Roads Organisation FAQs

Q1. Is BRO part of the army?

Ans. BRO is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to and is a part of the Indian Armed Forces.

Q2. What is the role of Border Roads Organisation?

Ans. It develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring countries.

Q3. The Border Roads Organization is under which ministry?

Ans. It works under the Ministry of Defence.

Source: DH