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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 – which was placed in orbit recently – can observe the Sun during the peak of its solar cycle.

According to research, this occurs approximately every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent would be the planet's poles swapping positions.

It's a time marked by intense activity. It involves our star changing from calm to stormy and is marked by a huge increase in the frequency of solar storms and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of fire that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Made up of ionized particles, a coronal mass ejection may have a mass up to a trillion kilograms and reach velocities of up to 3,000km per second. It can travel in any direction, even toward the Earth. At maximum velocity, the journey takes a CME 15 hours to traverse the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"During typical or low-activity times, our star emits two to three CMEs daily," says an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be over ten each day."

Studying coronal mass ejections ranks among the most important scientific objectives for the Indian maiden solar mission. Firstly, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to study the Sun at the centre of our planetary system, and secondly, because activities occurring on the Sun threaten infrastructure on our planet and in orbit.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

Coronal mass ejections seldom present immediate danger to people, yet they impact our planet through generating geomagnetic storms affecting the weather in near space, where about thousands of spacecraft, including Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most spectacular displays from solar eruptions are auroras, which are a clear example that charged particles from Sun journey toward our planet," the scientist clarifies.

"But they can also make all the electronics on a satellite fail, disable electrical networks and disrupt meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Past Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar event ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out communication systems worldwide
• In 1989, a part of Quebec's power grid failed, leaving six million people without power for hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disrupted air traffic control, leading to disruption across Scandinavia and various European air hubs
• Recently in 2022, a CME caused dozens of spacecraft failing

With capability to see what happens in the solar atmosphere and spot a solar storm or solar eruption in real time, measure its heat at origin and watch its path, it can work as a forewarning to shut down power grids and spacecraft and move them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

While other solar missions observing our star, Aditya-L1 holds an edge over others regarding watching the corona.

"The instrument is the exact size that lets it nearly mimic lunar coverage, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere permitting an uninterrupted view of almost all of the corona around the clock, 365 days a year, including during eclipses and occultations," notes the expert.

In other words, the coronagraph acts like a synthetic eclipse, blocking the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – something the real Moon provide only during specific moments.

Additionally, this is the only mission that can study eruptions in visible light, letting it measure a CME's temperature and thermal output – crucial data that show how strong a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Preparation for Peak Period

To prepare for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists collaborated analyzing the data obtained from one of the largest solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has observed recently.

It originated in September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight totaled billions of tons – for comparison that sank Titanic weighed much less.

At origin, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius with energy equivalent comparable to millions of tons of explosives – in comparison the atomic bombs used in Japan were much smaller and 21 kilotons respectively.

Even though these figures seem massive, the expert classifies it as a moderate event.

The asteroid that eliminated prehistoric life on our planet carried enormous energy and during solar peak occurs, we could see CMEs carrying power matching even more than that.

"In my view the CME we analyzed happened when the Sun of typical solar activity. Now this sets the standard that we'll be using to evaluate what to expect during solar maximum arrives," he states.

"The insights gained will help us developing protective measures to implement safeguarding spacecraft in near space. They will also help achieving deeper knowledge of near-Earth space," he concludes.