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Regarding Aditya-L1, 2026 is expected to be like no other.

It's the first time the observatory – which was placed in orbit recently – will be able to observe the Sun when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

As per scientific data, this occurs approximately every 11 years as the Sun's magnetic poles flip – a similar Earth scenario would be the planet's poles changing places.

It's a time of great turbulence. It sees our star changing from calm to stormy and is marked by 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 may have a mass of billions of tons and can attain velocities exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out in any direction, even toward our planet. At maximum velocity, the journey takes an ejection 15 hours to traverse the vast distance Earth-Sun distance.

"During typical or quiet periods, the Sun launches a few solar eruptions daily," explains an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be 10 or more daily."

Studying coronal mass ejections ranks among the most important 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 infrastructure on our planet and in space.

Impacts on Earth and Space Infrastructure

Coronal mass ejections seldom present a direct threat to people, yet they impact life on Earth through generating magnetic disturbances that impact the weather in near space, where about 11,000 satellites, including Indian satellites, orbit.

"The most spectacular displays of a CME are auroras, which are a clear example that charged particles from our star journey to Earth," the scientist clarifies.

"However, they may cause electronic systems on a satellite malfunction, knock down electrical networks and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Past Solar Events

• The strongest solar storm ever recorded occurred during the Carrington Event that disabled communication systems across the globe
• In 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, affecting millions without power for nine hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disturbed air traffic control, causing disruption across Scandinavia and some other European airports
• Recently in 2022, an ejection caused 38 commercial satellites failing

If we are able to see events on the Sun's corona and detect solar activity or solar eruption in real time, measure its heat at the source and track its trajectory, this serves as advanced warning to switch off power grids and satellites redirecting them to safety.

The Mission's Unique Advantage

While other solar missions observing our star, Aditya-L1 has an advantage compared to rivals regarding watching the corona.

"The instrument has perfect dimensions that lets it nearly mimic the Moon, fully covering the solar disk and allowing it continuous observation of nearly the entire solar atmosphere around the clock, 365 days a year, including during solar events," says the expert.

Essentially, this instrument acts like a synthetic eclipse, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing researchers constantly study its faint outer corona – a feat the real Moon does only during specific moments.

Additionally, this is the only mission capable of examining solar events in visible light, letting it measure a CME's temperature and thermal output – key clues indicating the intensity a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Readiness for Peak Period

In preparation for next year's solar maximum, researchers worked together analyzing information obtained from one of the largest CMEs that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now.

This event began in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. The eruption's weight totaled billions of tons – for comparison that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

Initially, its temperature was 1.8 million degrees Celsius with energy equivalent was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – in comparison the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons respectively.

Even though the numbers make it sound incredibly large, the scientist describes it as a moderate event.

The asteroid which wiped out the dinosaurs on our planet carried enormous energy and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, there may be eruptions with energy content equal to even more than that.

"I consider this eruption we evaluated happened when the Sun was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the benchmark that we'll be using assessing what to expect when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he states.

"The insights gained will help us developing protective measures to implement safeguarding spacecraft in orbit. Additionally, they'll aid achieving a better understanding of near-Earth space," he adds.