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For India's first solar observatory, 2026 is expected to be like no other.

It's the first time the spacecraft – that entered in orbit last year – can watch the Sun when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

As per scientific data, this occurs roughly once every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – the Earth equivalent could be the planet's poles changing places.

This period of great turbulence. It involves our star transition from calm to stormy and is marked by a huge increase in the frequency of solar storms and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – enormous clouds of fire that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of ionized particles, a CME may have a mass up to a trillion kilograms and reach a speed exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out in any direction, including towards the Earth. At top speed, it would take a CME 15 hours to traverse the vast distance Earth-Sun distance.

"During typical or quiet periods, the Sun launches a few solar eruptions daily," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, it's anticipated them to be over ten daily."

Studying coronal mass ejections is one of the most important scientific objectives of India's maiden solar mission. Firstly, because the ejections offer a chance to study the star in the center of our solar system, and two, because activities occurring on the solar surface endanger infrastructure on Earth and in space.

Effects on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

CMEs seldom present a direct threat to human life, yet they impact life on Earth by causing magnetic disturbances that impact conditions in near space, where nearly 11,000 satellites, comprising Indian satellites, orbit.

"The most beautiful manifestations from solar eruptions include northern lights, being a clear example that solar particles from our star journey to Earth," the expert clarifies.

"But they can also cause electronic systems on a satellite malfunction, knock down electrical networks and affect weather and communication satellites."

Past Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar storm ever recorded occurred during the 1859 solar superstorm that disabled communication systems worldwide
• During 1989, sections of Canadian electrical network failed, leaving six million people in darkness for hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disrupted flight operations, causing disruption across Scandinavia and some other European airports
• Recently in 2022, a CME had led to 38 commercial satellites being lost

If we are able to observe what happens on the Sun's corona and detect solar activity or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, measure its heat at the source and track its trajectory, it can work as a forewarning to shut down power grids and satellites redirecting them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

There are other space observatories observing the Sun, Aditya-L1 has an advantage over others regarding studying the solar atmosphere.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph is the exact size enabling it to effectively simulate the Moon, fully covering the solar disk permitting an uninterrupted view of nearly the entire of the corona around the clock, throughout the year, including during solar events," says the expert.

Essentially, this instrument acts like an artificial Moon, obscuring the solar glare allowing scientists constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – a feat the real Moon does only during eclipses.

Moreover, this is the only mission capable of examining solar events using optical wavelengths, enabling it to determine a CME's temperature and thermal output – key clues indicating the intensity of an eruption when traveling toward Earth.

Readiness for Peak Period

To prepare for next year's peak solar activity period, researchers collaborated analyzing information obtained from one of the largest CMEs recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

It originated in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. The eruption's weight totaled billions of tons – the iceberg that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

Initially, its temperature was 1.8 million degrees Celsius with energy equivalent comparable to millions of tons of explosives – relative to the atomic bombs used in Japan were much smaller and 21 kilotons respectively.

Even though the numbers seem incredibly large, the scientist describes it as a "medium-sized" one.

The asteroid that eliminated the dinosaurs on our planet carried enormous energy and during the Sun's maximum activity cycle, there may be eruptions with energy content matching greater levels.

"I consider this eruption we analyzed to have occurred when the Sun was in the normal activity phase. This establishes the benchmark that we'll be using to evaluate what is in store when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he states.

"The learnings from this will help us work out protective measures to be adopted to protect spacecraft in near space. Additionally, they'll aid us gain a better understanding of near-Earth space," he concludes.