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For India's first solar observatory, the year 2026 is expected to be like no other.

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – which was placed in orbit last year – will be able to watch the Sun when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

As per research, this occurs approximately every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent would be the North and South poles changing places.

It's a time of great turbulence. It involves the Sun transition from peaceful to violent and features a huge increase in the frequency of solar storms and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of plasma that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of charged particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and can attain a speed of up to 3,000km each second. It can head out in any direction, even toward the Earth. At top speed, it would take a CME 15 hours to cover the vast distance Earth-Sun distance.

"During typical or low-activity times, the Sun emits a few solar eruptions a day," says an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, we expect them to be 10 or more each day."

Studying CMEs ranks among the most important scientific objectives for the Indian maiden solar mission. Firstly, as these eruptions offer a chance to learn about the star in the center of our planetary system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the solar surface endanger infrastructure on our planet and in space.

Impacts on Earth and Orbital Systems

Coronal mass ejections seldom present a direct threat to human life, but they do affect our planet by causing geomagnetic storms affecting the weather in near space, where about 11,000 satellites, comprising Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most spectacular displays of a CME include northern lights, which are a clear example that solar particles from Sun journey toward our planet," the expert explains.

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

Historical Solar Events

• The most powerful solar event ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out telegraph lines worldwide
• In 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network was knocked out, leaving millions without power for nine hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disrupted air traffic control, causing disruption in Sweden and some other European air hubs
• Recently in 2022, a CME had led to dozens of spacecraft failing

If we are able to see events in the solar atmosphere and detect solar activity or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, measure its heat at the source and watch its trajectory, it can work as a forewarning to shut down electrical systems and satellites redirecting them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

There are other space observatories watching the Sun, Aditya-L1 holds an edge over others regarding studying the solar atmosphere.

"The instrument is the exact size that lets it nearly mimic lunar coverage, fully covering the solar disk and allowing it an uninterrupted view of almost all solar atmosphere around the clock, 365 days a year, including during eclipses and occultations," notes the researcher.

Essentially, this instrument functions as an artificial Moon, blocking the Sun's bright surface to let researchers continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – something natural eclipses provide only during eclipses.

Additionally, this is the only mission capable of examining solar events using optical wavelengths, letting it measure eruption heat and thermal output – crucial data that show the intensity of an eruption if it headed our direction.

Readiness for Maximum Activity

In preparation for the upcoming peak solar activity period, researchers collaborated analyzing information obtained from one of the largest CMEs that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now.

It originated on 13 September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – for comparison that struck the ship weighed much less.

At origin, the heat reached extreme levels with energy equivalent was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of TNT – in comparison nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 15 kilotons in scale each.

Although these figures make it sound massive, the expert classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock which wiped out the dinosaurs on Earth carried enormous energy and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see CMEs with energy content matching even more than that.

"I consider this eruption we analyzed happened during periods of typical solar activity. This establishes the standard that we'll be using assessing what to expect during solar maximum occurs," he states.

"The insights gained will help us work out the countermeasures to implement safeguarding spacecraft in near space. They will also help us gain a better understanding of our space environment," he concludes.