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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 last year – will be able to watch our star during the peak of its solar cycle.

As per scientific data, it comes roughly every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – the Earth equivalent could be the North and South poles changing places.

It's a time of great turbulence. It sees our star transition from calm to stormy and is marked by a significant rise in the frequency of solar storms and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of fire that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of ionized particles, a CME can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and reach velocities exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can travel toward various directions, even toward our planet. At top speed, it would take an ejection 15 hours to traverse the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or low-activity times, our star emits two to three CMEs a day," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, we expect them to be 10 or more daily."

Researching coronal mass ejections is one of the key research goals of India's maiden solar mission. Firstly, as these eruptions offer a chance to study the Sun at the centre of our solar system, and two, since events occurring on the solar surface endanger systems on Earth and in space.

Impacts on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

CMEs seldom present a direct threat to people, yet they impact life on Earth through generating magnetic disturbances that impact conditions in near space, where about thousands of spacecraft, comprising Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most beautiful manifestations from solar eruptions include northern lights, being a clear example that charged particles from Sun are travelling toward our planet," the scientist clarifies.

"However, they may cause electronic systems on a satellite malfunction, knock down power grids and disrupt meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Historical Solar Events

• The strongest solar storm ever recorded occurred during the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out communication systems worldwide
• During 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, affecting millions in darkness for hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disrupted air traffic control, leading to disruption across Scandinavia and some other European airports
• In February 2022, a CME caused dozens of spacecraft being lost

With capability to observe what happens on the Sun's corona and detect a solar storm or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, record its temperature at origin and watch its trajectory, it can work as advanced warning to shut down electrical systems and satellites redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

There are other solar missions observing the Sun, India's spacecraft has an advantage over others regarding watching the corona.

"The instrument has perfect dimensions enabling it to effectively simulate the Moon, fully covering the Sun's photosphere and allowing it continuous observation of almost all solar atmosphere around the clock, throughout the year, including during eclipses and occultations," notes the expert.

In other words, the coronagraph functions as an artificial Moon, blocking the solar glare to let scientists continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – a feat the real Moon provide only during specific moments.

Additionally, this is the only mission capable of examining eruptions in visible light, enabling it to determine a CME's temperature and thermal output – key clues that show how strong a CME would be when traveling our direction.

Readiness for Maximum Activity

In preparation for the upcoming solar maximum, researchers worked together to study information obtained from one of the largest CMEs recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

This event began in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. Its mass totaled billions of tons – the iceberg that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

At origin, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – relative to nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 15 kilotons in scale respectively.

Even though these figures seem massive, the scientist classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock which wiped out the dinosaurs on Earth carried enormous energy and when solar peak occurs, there may be CMEs with energy content matching greater levels.

"I consider the CME we evaluated to have occurred during periods of typical solar activity. This establishes the standard for future comparison assessing what is in store when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he states.

"The learnings gained will help us work out protective measures to implement to protect spacecraft in orbit. They will also help achieving a better understanding of near-Earth space," he adds.