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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 into space recently – can observe our star when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

As per research, it comes roughly every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – a similar Earth scenario would be the planet's poles changing places.

It's a time marked by intense activity. It sees the Sun changing from calm to stormy and is marked by a huge increase in the frequency of solar storms and massive solar flares – massive bubbles of plasma that erupt from the solar corona.

Composed of charged particles, a coronal mass ejection may have a mass up to a trillion kilograms and reach a speed exceeding 2,000 miles per second. It can travel in any direction, even toward the Earth. At maximum velocity, it would take an ejection 15 hours to traverse the vast distance Earth-Sun distance.

"During typical or quiet periods, the Sun emits two to three CMEs daily," says an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be 10 or more 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 star at the centre of our planetary system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the solar surface threaten infrastructure on our planet and in space.

Effects on Earth and Space Infrastructure

CMEs rarely pose a direct threat to people, yet they impact our planet through generating geomagnetic storms affecting the weather in Earth's vicinity, where nearly thousands of spacecraft, including many from India, are stationed.

"The most spectacular manifestations from solar eruptions include northern lights, which are direct evidence that charged particles from our star journey toward our planet," the expert explains.

"But they can also make all the electronics on a satellite fail, knock down electrical networks and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Past Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar event in history was the Carrington Event that disabled telegraph lines across the globe
• In 1989, a part of Quebec's power grid was knocked out, leaving millions without power for hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disturbed air traffic control, causing disruption in Sweden and various European airports
• In February 2022, an ejection caused dozens of spacecraft being lost

With capability to see events on the Sun's corona and detect solar activity or solar eruption in real time, record its temperature at the source and watch its path, it can work as a forewarning to switch off electrical systems and spacecraft and move them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

While other space observatories observing the Sun, Aditya-L1 has an advantage compared to rivals when it comes to watching the corona.

"The instrument has perfect dimensions that lets it effectively simulate lunar coverage, fully covering the Sun's photosphere and allowing it continuous observation of nearly the entire of the corona around the clock, throughout the year, even during eclipses and occultations," notes the expert.

Essentially, this instrument acts like an artificial Moon, blocking the Sun's bright surface to let scientists constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – a feat natural eclipses does only during eclipses.

Moreover, it's unique capable of examining eruptions in visible light, letting it determine eruption heat and heat energy – key clues that show how strong a CME would be when traveling toward Earth.

Readiness for Peak Period

In preparation for next year's peak solar activity period, scientists collaborated to study the data obtained from a major CMEs recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

It originated in September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that sank Titanic weighed much less.

At origin, its temperature reached extreme levels with energy equivalent comparable to millions of tons of explosives – in comparison nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 15 kilotons in scale respectively.

Although the numbers make it sound incredibly large, the expert classifies it as a moderate event.

The space rock that eliminated the dinosaurs on Earth carried enormous energy and during the Sun's maximum activity cycle, there may be eruptions carrying power matching greater levels.

"I consider the CME we evaluated to have occurred during periods of typical solar activity. This establishes the benchmark for future comparison to evaluate what to expect when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he states.

"The insights gained will assist in developing the countermeasures to be adopted safeguarding spacecraft in near space. They will also help us gain a better understanding of near-Earth space," he adds.