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For Aditya-L1, 2026 is expected to be truly unique.

It's the first time the observatory – which was placed into space last year – will be able to observe our star when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

According to scientific data, it comes roughly once every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – a similar Earth scenario would be the North and South poles swapping positions.

This period marked by intense activity. It sees our star changing from calm to stormy and features a huge increase in the number of solar eruptions and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of plasma that erupt from the solar corona.

Made up of charged particles, a CME may have a mass of billions of tons and reach a speed exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can travel in any direction, even toward the Earth. At maximum velocity, it would take an ejection about half a day to traverse the 150 million km between Earth and the Sun.

"During typical or quiet periods, our star emits a few solar eruptions daily," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, we expect there will be 10 or more each day."

Researching coronal mass ejections ranks among the key research goals for the Indian first solar observatory. Firstly, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to learn about the Sun in the center of our solar system, and two, because activities occurring on the Sun endanger infrastructure on our planet and in orbit.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

CMEs seldom present immediate danger to people, but they do affect life on Earth by causing magnetic disturbances that impact the weather in Earth's vicinity, where nearly thousands of spacecraft, comprising many from India, are stationed.

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

"But they can also cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft fail, disable power grids and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Events

• The strongest solar storm ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out communication systems worldwide
• During 1989, sections of Canadian electrical network failed, leaving six million people without power for nine hours
• During late 2015, solar activity disturbed air traffic control, leading to disruption in Sweden and some other European airports
• Recently in 2022, an ejection had led to dozens of spacecraft being lost

If we are able to see events on the Sun's corona and detect a solar storm or a coronal mass ejection in real time, measure its heat at origin and watch its trajectory, this serves as a forewarning to shut down electrical systems and satellites and move them out of harm's way.

The Mission's Special Capability

While other space observatories watching the Sun, India's spacecraft has an advantage compared to rivals when it comes to 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 almost all solar atmosphere around the clock, 365 days a year, even during solar events," says the researcher.

Essentially, the coronagraph functions as an artificial Moon, blocking the Sun's bright surface allowing researchers continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – something natural eclipses does only during eclipses.

Additionally, this is the only mission capable of examining solar events in visible light, enabling it to determine a CME's temperature and heat energy – key clues that show the intensity of an eruption when traveling our direction.

Preparation for Peak Period

To prepare for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists collaborated to study the data gathered from a major solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now.

This event began in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – for comparison that sank Titanic weighed much less.

Initially, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of TNT – in comparison the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 15 kilotons in scale respectively.

Even though these figures make it sound massive, the expert describes it as a moderate event.

The space rock that eliminated the dinosaurs on our planet was 100 million megatons and during solar peak occurs, there may be eruptions carrying power equal to greater levels.

"In my view the CME we analyzed to have occurred when the Sun was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the benchmark for future comparison to evaluate what is in store when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he says.

"The insights gained will assist in work out the countermeasures to be adopted safeguarding spacecraft in orbit. Additionally, they'll aid us gain a better understanding of our space environment," he concludes.