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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 recently – will be able to watch our star during its maximum activity cycle.

As per scientific data, this occurs approximately once every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – a similar Earth scenario could be the North and South poles swapping positions.

It's a time of great turbulence. It sees our star changing from peaceful to violent and features a significant rise in the frequency of solar storms and massive solar flares – massive bubbles of fire that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of ionized particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and can attain velocities exceeding 2,000 miles per second. It can head out in any direction, including towards the Earth. At top speed, the journey takes an ejection 15 hours to cover the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or quiet periods, the Sun launches a few solar eruptions daily," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, it's anticipated them to be over ten daily."

Studying CMEs ranks among the most important research goals of India's first solar observatory. Firstly, because the ejections offer a chance to learn about the Sun in the center of our solar system, and secondly, because activities occurring on the solar surface endanger infrastructure on our planet and in space.

Impacts on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

CMEs seldom present immediate danger to human life, yet they impact our planet through generating geomagnetic storms that impact the weather in Earth's vicinity, where nearly 11,000 satellites, comprising Indian satellites, are stationed.

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

"But they can also make all the electronics aboard spacecraft malfunction, disable power grids and disrupt meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar storm in history was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out communication systems worldwide
• In 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, leaving millions in darkness for hours
• In November 2015, solar activity disrupted air traffic control, leading to disruption in Sweden and various European airports
• Recently in 2022, an ejection had led to 38 commercial satellites being lost

With capability to observe what happens in the solar atmosphere and spot solar activity or a coronal mass ejection in real time, record its temperature at the source and watch its trajectory, it can work as advanced warning to shut down electrical systems and satellites redirecting them to safety.

The Mission's Unique Advantage

There are other space observatories watching the Sun, India's spacecraft has an advantage compared to rivals regarding studying the solar atmosphere.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph is the exact size that lets it nearly mimic the Moon, fully covering the solar disk and allowing it an uninterrupted view of nearly the entire of the corona around the clock, throughout the year, even during solar events," notes the researcher.

In other words, the coronagraph functions as an artificial Moon, blocking the Sun's bright surface allowing researchers continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – a feat natural eclipses does only during specific moments.

Moreover, this is the only mission that can study eruptions using optical wavelengths, enabling it to determine a CME's temperature and heat energy – crucial data indicating the intensity of an eruption when traveling toward Earth.

Readiness for Maximum Activity

In preparation for next year's solar maximum, scientists collaborated analyzing the data gathered from a major CMEs recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

It originated in September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – for comparison that struck the ship weighed much less.

At origin, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius with energy equivalent was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – relative to the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were much smaller and 21 kilotons each.

Even though these figures seem incredibly large, the scientist classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

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

"In my view the CME we evaluated happened when the Sun of typical solar activity. Now this sets the standard for future comparison to evaluate what to expect when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he states.

"The learnings from this will help us developing protective measures to implement to protect satellites in near space. Additionally, they'll aid achieving a better understanding of near-Earth space," he concludes.