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Dimensionality of Sunlight Resources with Scientific Approach

Our nature has given a wonderful personality is ‘Sun’. We all are utilizing the Sun for our different purposes in life span. A traditional pattern of scheduled work time based on day light (is the Sun arises). Now the recent research trend is using this light source with various wavelengths such as ultraviolet rays, visible rays, and infrared rays. An artificial light is also helpful to the photosynthetic reactions. Hence, our human community is at the primary stage of using these natural resources, specifically in sun energy and searching for a suitable alternative resource. 

Figure 1. Different dimensional of Sunlight Resources. Credited to SNB team.

Indian Traditional festival and yoga with scientific sun affairs 

Suriya pongal festival: In Indian culture, suriya pongal (தைப்பொà®™்கல்) festival is one of the most important one among all other festivals celebrated by Tamilians. “Name festival is Pongal", which it means "to boil, overflow" and also refers to the traditional dish prepared (with sun harvest of cultivated rice boil in milk with raw sugar) [1]. This auspicious day signs the end of winter season and starting of spring season. Especially, all the Tamil communities are ready to provide their gratitude’s to sun at the time of mid January month (Thai Pongal or Tamilar Thirunaal) as per Tamil solar calendar. The tamil peoples have been get-together with their family members to prepare pongal with some agriculture products (rice, cane sugar, etc.,). It is also celebrated at many states in the different names such as Makar Sankranti, Pedda Panduya, Poush Sankranti, Kicheri, Makar Sakraat, Magh Bihu, Lohri, Uttarayan, Makara Sankramana, Makara Vilakku at allover India. This is the only festival not related to any religions and castes, it practice us to respect Sun and agriculture work and related workers including animals. 

During this festival occasion, a scientific cultural concern with sun, the farmers were related the traditional pongal and teach us about the thanks delivering to the natural resource which is our responsibility, where the people gratitude and the Sun resource (as ultimate energy) in suriya pongal for supporting peoples to get a better agriculture product crops. The supportive cattle (cow) is also cheer up during the festival of mattu pongal and plentiful harvest for helping and peaceful farmers cropping. The Hindu people mythology is inclined towards natural resource sun as a part in festival also. This harvest and thanks giving scenario in the festival is a good time with natural sun resource towards for the positivity and love.

Surya Namaskar: Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation is a set of sequence (with 12 powerful poses) in yoga [2]. At early morning with an empty stomach, it should be practice with breath-in and breath-out at particular time before the sunrise. It is advisable to practice regularly to get a positive impact on the human body and mind. Scientific approach and identity of this specific yoga practice will ensure the good health (diminishing blood pressure and cardiovascular issues) and also gives an opportunity to indicate gratitude to the natural sun resource for a continuous sustaining life span on this planet. 

Solar Radiation to Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus)

The sunflower parts like leaves and related immature head (non-flowering) exchanging their directions to absorb the sunlight throughout the day with altering their orientation. How the plant does know about the solar energy terms? Why it happens by naturally? Is there any six-sense present in plants? We can’t able to skip this particular scenario (At sunset the part of plant head faces nearly west and continuously give their attention of faces towards east before the next day sunrise) with the view of sensory part present in the sunflowers [3]. 

So many hypothetical questions are ended up with Gabor Horvath et al., atmospheric optical explanations for the solar radiation and ecological functions as per the supportive points (astronomical data, motion effect of the Sun, meteorological data, diurnal cloudiness, time responsible elevation angle of sunflower heads, absorption spectra of the inflorescence). The scientific community ensured that the sunlight radiation collected by the inflorescence with various condition (anthesis and senescence). The maximal energy from sunlight is being more supportable for the seed production and seed maturation. When the inflorescence facing towards the east direction will absorbs the maximum energy comparable than west facing and next possibility direction is south facing. The specific climate in the area of sunflower cultivations, that afternoons section are remarkable cloudier than mornings section were clarified for U.S, Italy and Hungary. In contrast, result is observed in South Sweden, that morning and west direction facing inflorescences would absorb (maximum level) of sunlight energy. They have pointed out that the locally cultivated (domestic) Helianthus annuus improved an easterly final direction (orientation) of its well mature inflorescence, because it progressed in fixed boundaries with cloudier afternoons. The head contributes more than 25% of the whole-plant light absorption at maturity.

Korean’s Artificial Sun: New world record is on super conducting fusion device (Artificial Sun), a successful history in attaining the high temperature plasma process (for 20 Seconds) with an ion temperature over 100 million degrees (Celsius) [4]. 

A joint research team from various institutions (Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE), Seoul National University (SNU) and Columbia University) provides the detailed information about the re-create nuclear fusion technical support for artificial sun on Earth, specific hydrogen isotopes must be placed inside part of a super conducting fusion device. To develop a plasma state for a long duration of time, where the concern electrons and ions are separated, and the mentioned ions should be support for the heating process and maintained at high temperatures are:
  • For the first time, in 2018, KSTAR attained the plasma ion temperature of 100 million degrees with specific retention time (about 1.5 seconds).
  • In 2019, plasma techniques are achieved with an operating time upto 8 seconds extension more attractive than previous year (2018) identity.
  • In November 2020, the scientific team have boosted their knowledge in continuous operation time of plasma (for 20 seconds) and highlighted with core condition of nuclear fusion (an ion-temperature sequence higher than hundred million degrees). 

"The technologies required for long operations of 100 million- plasma are the key to the realization of fusion energy, and the KSTAR's success in maintaining the high-temperature plasma for 20 seconds will be an important turning point in the race for securing the technologies for the long high-performance plasma operation, a critical component of a commercial nuclear fusion reactor in the future".

                Dr. Si-Woo Yoon, Director of the KSTAR.

Our SNB team have emphasized this special article for the readers to know about the ultimate sun energy and their requirements. Here, we are highlighted with three dimensions of sunlight. How traditional peoples are educated us during the festival? We hope they may know the significance of thermal energy and light irradiation importance. Even plants can also give their orientation of heads towards the directions of sunlight. At present, we are suggesting the basic science towards various scientific pronounced terms like artificial light, photosynthesis, photodynamic therapy etc. We hope that our future artificial sun will be helpful for our energy requirements, but the main question behind that is, How far it is good for human health issues? Only the near future research will provide the answers for these questions. Human life is really a mystery with these miracles. 

References 

  1. https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/why-pongal-festival-is-celebrated-1547213907-1. 
  2. https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/yoga-poses/sun-salutation gclid=CjwKCAiAuoqABhAsEiwAdSkVVCm3v3m7X5fu87bGpjtXv52U7IvkO5MHTxEKADuH2HqCmaV1pxv7xRoCmSgQAvD_BwE.
  3. Gabor Horváth, Scientific reports, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78243-z.
  4. https://phys.org/news/2020-12-korean-artificial-sun-world-sec-long.html. 

Blog Written By

Dr. K. Rajkumar

Guest Faculty

Central University of Tamil Nadu, 

Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, India.

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