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For India's first solar observatory, the year 2026 is expected to be truly unique.

It's the first time the observatory – which was placed in orbit last year – will be able to watch the Sun when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

As per research, this occurs approximately once every 11 years as 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 involves our star transition from calm to stormy and features a huge increase in the number of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – enormous clouds of plasma that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer.

Made up of ionized particles, a CME may have a mass of billions of tons and reach velocities 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 Earth-Sun distance.

"During typical or quiet periods, the Sun launches two to three CMEs daily," says an astrophysics expert. "Next year, we expect there will be 10 or more each day."

Researching CMEs is one of the key scientific objectives for the Indian maiden solar mission. Firstly, because the ejections provide an opportunity to learn about the star in the center of our planetary system, and secondly, since events occurring on the solar surface threaten infrastructure on our planet and in orbit.

Effects on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

CMEs seldom present 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 beautiful displays of a CME are auroras, being a clear example that charged particles from our star are travelling to Earth," the expert clarifies.

"But they can also cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft fail, disable electrical networks and affect meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Historical Solar Events

• The most powerful solar event in history was the 1859 solar superstorm that disabled telegraph lines worldwide
• During 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, leaving six million people without power for nine hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disrupted flight operations, leading to chaos in Sweden and various European air hubs
• Recently in 2022, a CME caused 38 commercial satellites being lost

If we are able to observe what happens in the solar atmosphere and detect a solar storm or solar eruption as it happens, record its temperature at origin and watch its trajectory, this serves as a forewarning to shut down electrical systems and spacecraft and move them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

While other solar missions observing the Sun, Aditya-L1 holds an edge over others when it comes to studying the solar atmosphere.

"The instrument has perfect dimensions that lets it nearly mimic the Moon, fully covering the Sun's photosphere and allowing it continuous observation of nearly the entire of the corona 24 hours a day, throughout the year, even during solar events," notes the researcher.

In other words, the coronagraph functions as an artificial Moon, blocking the solar glare to let researchers constantly study its faint outer corona – a feat natural eclipses does only during eclipses.

Moreover, it's unique capable of examining solar events in visible light, letting it determine a CME's temperature and thermal output – key clues indicating the intensity of an eruption when traveling our direction.

Preparation for Peak Period

In preparation for next year's peak solar activity period, scientists collaborated to study the data obtained from a major solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now.

It originated in September 2024 during early hours. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – for comparison that struck the ship weighed much less.

Initially, its temperature reached extreme levels and the energy content was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – relative to 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 "medium-sized" one.

The asteroid which wiped out the dinosaurs on our planet was 100 million megatons and during the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see eruptions carrying power equal to even more than that.

"In my view the CME we analyzed to have occurred when the Sun was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the standard that we'll be using to evaluate what is in store when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he says.

"The insights from this will assist in work out the countermeasures to implement safeguarding satellites in orbit. They will also help us gain a better understanding of near-Earth space," he adds.