🔗 Share this article

Regarding India's first solar observatory, 2026 will be like no other.

It's the first time the spacecraft – that entered in orbit last year – will be able to watch our star when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

As per research, it comes approximately every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – a similar Earth scenario would be the planet's poles changing places.

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

Composed of charged particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh of billions of tons and reach velocities exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out toward various directions, even toward the Earth. At maximum velocity, it would take a CME about half a day to cover the vast distance Earth-Sun distance.

"In the normal or quiet periods, our star emits two to three CMEs daily," explains an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, we expect there will be 10 or more each day."

Researching CMEs ranks among the most important scientific objectives for the Indian first solar observatory. Firstly, because the ejections provide an opportunity to learn about the Sun in the center of our solar system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the Sun endanger systems on Earth and in orbit.

Effects on Earth and Space Infrastructure

CMEs rarely pose immediate danger to human life, yet they impact our planet through generating magnetic disturbances affecting conditions in Earth's vicinity, where about thousands of spacecraft, including Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most spectacular manifestations from solar eruptions include northern lights, being direct evidence that solar particles from our star journey to Earth," the expert clarifies.

"However, they may make all the electronics aboard spacecraft malfunction, knock down electrical networks and affect meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Past Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar event in history was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out telegraph lines worldwide
• In 1989, a part of Quebec's power grid failed, affecting six million people without power for hours
• During late 2015, solar activity disrupted flight operations, causing disruption in Sweden and some other European air hubs
• In February 2022, a CME caused 38 commercial satellites being lost

With capability to see what happens in the solar atmosphere and spot solar activity or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, measure its heat at the source and watch its path, this serves as advanced warning to switch off power grids and spacecraft redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

While other solar missions observing our star, Aditya-L1 holds an edge over others regarding studying the solar atmosphere.

"The instrument has perfect dimensions that lets it nearly mimic the Moon, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere and allowing it an uninterrupted view of nearly the entire of the corona 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including during eclipses and occultations," notes the expert.

Essentially, the coronagraph functions as a synthetic eclipse, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – a feat the real Moon does only during eclipses.

Additionally, it's unique that can study eruptions in visible light, letting it determine a CME's temperature and heat energy – crucial data indicating how strong of an eruption if it headed our direction.

Readiness for Maximum Activity

To prepare for next year's peak solar activity period, researchers collaborated analyzing the data gathered from a major CMEs that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now.

It originated in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. Its mass totaled billions of tons – for comparison that struck the ship weighed much less.

At origin, its temperature reached extreme levels and the energy content was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of TNT – relative to the atomic bombs used in Japan were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons respectively.

Even though these figures make it sound massive, the expert classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock which wiped out prehistoric life on Earth was 100 million megatons and during solar peak occurs, we could see CMEs with energy content equal to even more than that.

"I consider this eruption we analyzed to have occurred during periods of typical solar activity. This establishes the standard that we'll be using to evaluate what is in store during solar maximum occurs," he states.

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