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For India's first solar observatory, 2026 will be like no other.

It's the first time the spacecraft – which was placed into space recently – can observe our star during the peak of its solar cycle.

As per research, it comes approximately once every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – a similar Earth scenario could be the planet's poles swapping positions.

This period of great turbulence. It sees the Sun changing from calm to stormy and features a significant rise in the number of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of fire that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of charged particles, a CME 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, including towards the Earth. At maximum velocity, it would take a CME about half a day to traverse the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or quiet periods, our star launches 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 ranks among the most important scientific objectives for the Indian first solar observatory. 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 orbit.

Effects on Earth and Orbital Systems

Coronal mass ejections seldom present immediate danger to people, but they do affect our planet by causing geomagnetic storms that impact the weather in near space, where about thousands of spacecraft, comprising many from India, orbit.

"The most spectacular manifestations of a CME include northern lights, which are a clear example that charged particles from Sun journey to Earth," the expert explains.

"However, they may make all the electronics aboard spacecraft malfunction, disable power grids and affect weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar event ever recorded was the Carrington Event that disabled communication systems across the globe
• During 1989, sections of Canadian electrical network failed, leaving millions in darkness for nine hours
• During late 2015, solar activity disrupted flight operations, causing disruption across Scandinavia and some other European air hubs
• Recently in 2022, an ejection caused 38 commercial satellites being lost

If we are able to observe events in the solar atmosphere and spot a solar storm or a coronal mass ejection in real time, measure its heat at origin and track its trajectory, this serves as advanced warning to switch off electrical systems and satellites and move them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

There are other solar missions observing the Sun, Aditya-L1 holds an edge compared to rivals when it comes to studying the solar atmosphere.

"The instrument is the exact size that lets it effectively simulate the Moon, fully covering the solar disk and allowing it an uninterrupted view of nearly the entire of the corona 24 hours a day, throughout the year, including during eclipses and occultations," says the expert.

In other words, the coronagraph functions as a synthetic eclipse, blocking the solar glare to let researchers continuously observe its faint outer corona – something the real Moon provide only during specific moments.

Moreover, this is the only mission capable of examining solar events using optical wavelengths, letting it determine eruption heat and thermal output – key clues that show the intensity a CME would be if it headed our direction.

Preparation for Peak Period

In preparation for next year's peak solar activity period, researchers collaborated analyzing the data gathered from one of the largest CMEs recorded by the mission has observed recently.

It originated on 13 September 2024 during early hours. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – for comparison that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

Initially, the heat reached extreme levels and the energy content was equivalent to millions of tons of explosives – relative to the atomic bombs used in Japan were much smaller and 21 kilotons respectively.

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

The asteroid that eliminated the dinosaurs on our planet was 100 million megatons and when solar peak occurs, we could see eruptions carrying power matching greater levels.

"In my view this eruption we analyzed happened during periods was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the standard for future comparison assessing what to expect during solar maximum occurs," he says.

"The insights from this will help us work out protective measures to implement safeguarding satellites in orbit. Additionally, they'll aid us gain a better understanding of our space environment," he adds.