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For Aditya-L1, 2026 is expected to be truly unique.

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – that entered into space last year – will be able to observe our star during its maximum activity cycle.

According to scientific data, it comes roughly every 11 years as the Sun's polarity reverses – a similar Earth scenario could 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 storms and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of fire that erupt from the solar corona.

Composed of charged particles, a CME can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and reach velocities exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out toward various directions, including towards our planet. At top speed, it would take an ejection about half a day to traverse the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or low-activity times, the Sun emits a few solar eruptions daily," explains a leading scientist. "Next year, we expect there will be 10 or more daily."

Researching coronal mass ejections ranks among the most important research goals for the Indian first solar observatory. Firstly, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to learn about the star at the centre of our planetary system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the Sun threaten infrastructure on our planet and in orbit.

Effects on Earth and Space Infrastructure

Coronal mass ejections seldom present a direct threat to human life, yet they impact life on Earth through generating magnetic disturbances affecting conditions in Earth's vicinity, where about 11,000 satellites, including many from India, are stationed.

"The most spectacular displays of a CME are auroras, being a clear example that charged particles from Sun are travelling to Earth," the expert clarifies.

"But they can also make all the electronics on a satellite fail, disable electrical networks and affect meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Past Solar Events

• The strongest solar event in history was the 1859 solar superstorm that disabled telegraph lines across the globe
• In 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network failed, leaving six million people in darkness for hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disturbed flight operations, causing chaos in Sweden and some other European airports
• In February 2022, an ejection caused 38 commercial satellites being lost

With capability to observe what happens in the solar atmosphere and spot a solar storm or solar eruption as it happens, measure its heat at origin and track its path, this serves as advanced warning to shut down power grids and spacecraft redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

While other space observatories observing our star, Aditya-L1 holds an edge over others when it comes to watching the corona.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph has perfect dimensions that lets it effectively simulate the Moon, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere and allowing it an uninterrupted view of almost all solar atmosphere 24 hours a day, throughout the year, including during solar events," says the researcher.

Essentially, this instrument functions as a synthetic eclipse, blocking the solar glare allowing researchers constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – something natural eclipses provide only during specific moments.

Additionally, this is the only mission that can study eruptions in visible light, enabling it to measure eruption heat and thermal output – key clues that show how strong of an eruption when traveling toward Earth.

Readiness for Maximum Activity

In preparation for next year's peak solar activity period, scientists collaborated to study the data gathered from one of the largest solar eruption recorded by the mission has observed recently.

This event began on 13 September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight totaled billions of tons – the iceberg that struck the ship weighed much less.

Initially, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content comparable to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – relative to the atomic bombs used in Japan were much smaller in scale respectively.

Even though these figures make it sound incredibly large, the expert describes it as a moderate event.

The asteroid that eliminated prehistoric life on Earth carried enormous energy and when solar peak occurs, there may be CMEs with energy content equal to even more than that.

"I consider this eruption we analyzed to have occurred during periods was in the normal activity phase. This establishes the standard for future comparison assessing what to expect during solar maximum occurs," he says.

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