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

It's the first time the spacecraft – that entered in orbit recently – can observe our star during its maximum activity cycle.

As per scientific data, this occurs approximately every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent could be the planet's poles swapping positions.

It's a time marked by intense activity. It sees the Sun changing from calm to stormy and is marked by a huge increase in the frequency of solar storms and massive solar flares – massive bubbles of fire that blow out from the solar corona.

Made up of ionized particles, a coronal mass ejection may have a mass of billions of tons and reach a speed exceeding 2,000 miles per second. It can travel toward various directions, even toward our planet. At top speed, it would take a CME 15 hours to cover the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or low-activity times, our star launches two to three CMEs a day," says an astrophysics expert. "Next year, it's anticipated 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 at the centre of our planetary system, and two, since events occurring on the Sun threaten systems on Earth and in space.

Effects on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

CMEs seldom present a direct threat to human life, but they do affect life on Earth by causing magnetic disturbances affecting the weather in Earth's vicinity, where nearly thousands of spacecraft, including Indian satellites, orbit.

"The most spectacular displays from solar eruptions are auroras, which are a clear example that solar particles from Sun are travelling toward our planet," the scientist clarifies.

"But they can also cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft malfunction, knock down power grids and affect meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Past Solar Events

• The strongest solar storm ever recorded occurred during the Carrington Event that disabled telegraph lines worldwide
• During 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network failed, leaving millions in darkness for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disrupted air traffic control, leading to chaos in Sweden and various European airports
• In February 2022, an ejection caused dozens of spacecraft failing

With capability to observe what happens in the solar atmosphere and spot solar activity or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, measure its heat at origin and track its trajectory, it can work as a forewarning to switch off power grids and satellites and move them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

There are other space observatories watching the Sun, Aditya-L1 has an advantage compared to rivals when it comes to studying the solar atmosphere.

"The instrument is the exact size that lets it effectively simulate the Moon, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of almost all of the corona around the clock, 365 days a year, even during solar events," notes the researcher.

In other words, the coronagraph acts like a synthetic eclipse, blocking the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists constantly study its faint outer corona – a feat natural eclipses provide only during specific moments.

Moreover, this is the only mission capable of examining solar events in visible light, letting it determine eruption heat and thermal output – crucial data that show how strong a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

To prepare for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists worked together to study the data obtained from a major solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now.

It originated in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that struck the ship weighed much less.

At origin, its temperature was 1.8 million degrees Celsius with energy equivalent comparable to millions of tons of TNT – in comparison the atomic bombs used in Japan were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons each.

Although the numbers seem incredibly large, the expert describes it as a moderate event.

The space rock that eliminated prehistoric life on Earth carried enormous energy and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see CMEs carrying power equal to even more than that.

"I consider this eruption we evaluated to have occurred during periods of typical solar activity. This establishes the benchmark for future comparison assessing what to expect when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he says.

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