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For Aditya-L1, 2026 will be like no other.

It's the first time the observatory – which was placed in orbit recently – can observe our star when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

As per research, this occurs approximately 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 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) – enormous clouds of fire that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of ionized particles, a CME may have a mass of billions of tons and reach a speed of up to 3,000km per second. It can head out toward various directions, including towards our planet. At maximum velocity, the journey takes an ejection 15 hours to cover the vast distance Earth-Sun distance.

"During typical or quiet periods, our star emits two to three CMEs a day," says a leading scientist. "In 2026, we expect them to be 10 or more each day."

Studying CMEs ranks among the key scientific objectives for the Indian first solar observatory. One, as these eruptions offer a chance to learn about the star in the center of our solar system, and two, because activities occurring on the Sun threaten infrastructure on Earth and in space.

Impacts on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

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

"The most beautiful displays of a CME are auroras, which are direct evidence that solar particles from our star are travelling toward our planet," the scientist explains.

"But they can also cause electronic systems on a satellite fail, disable power grids and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Past Solar Events

• The most powerful solar storm ever recorded was the Carrington Event that disabled telegraph lines across the globe
• In 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network failed, affecting millions without power for hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disturbed air traffic control, causing chaos in Sweden and some other European air hubs
• In February 2022, an ejection had led to dozens of spacecraft being lost

If we are able to observe what happens in the solar atmosphere and detect solar activity or solar eruption as it happens, record its temperature at the source and watch its trajectory, it can work as a forewarning to switch off power grids and satellites redirecting them out of harm's way.

The Mission's Special Capability

While other space observatories watching our star, India's spacecraft holds an edge over others when it comes to studying the solar atmosphere.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph is the exact size that lets it effectively simulate the Moon, fully covering the solar disk permitting continuous observation of almost all of the corona around the clock, throughout the year, including during eclipses and occultations," notes the researcher.

Essentially, the coronagraph functions as a synthetic eclipse, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – a feat natural eclipses provide only during eclipses.

Moreover, it's unique that can study solar events using optical wavelengths, letting it determine eruption heat and thermal output – crucial data 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 to study information obtained from one of the largest solar eruption recorded by the mission has observed recently.

This event began in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that sank Titanic was 1.5 million tonnes.

At origin, the heat reached extreme levels and the energy content was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of TNT – in comparison the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were much smaller and 21 kilotons each.

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

The space rock which wiped out prehistoric life on Earth carried enormous energy and during solar peak occurs, we could see eruptions with energy content equal to even more than that.

"In my view this eruption we evaluated to have occurred during periods of typical solar activity. Now this sets the benchmark that we'll be using to evaluate what to expect during solar maximum arrives," he says.

"The insights gained will help us developing the countermeasures to implement safeguarding satellites in orbit. They will also help us gain deeper knowledge of near-Earth space," he adds.