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

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – that entered into space recently – can observe our star during the peak of its solar cycle.

As per scientific data, this occurs approximately every 11 years as the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent could 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 number of solar storms and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – enormous clouds of fire that blow out from the solar corona.

Composed of charged particles, a CME may have a mass up to a trillion kilograms and can attain velocities exceeding 2,000 miles per second. It can travel toward various directions, even toward the Earth. At maximum velocity, it would take an ejection 15 hours to cover the vast distance Earth-Sun distance.

"In the normal or quiet periods, the Sun launches two to three CMEs a day," says an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, it's anticipated them to be 10 or more daily."

Studying coronal mass ejections ranks among the key scientific objectives of India's maiden solar mission. Firstly, as these eruptions offer a chance to learn about the star at the centre of our planetary system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the solar surface threaten infrastructure on Earth and in orbit.

Impacts on Earth and Orbital Systems

CMEs seldom present immediate danger to people, yet they impact our planet through generating magnetic disturbances that impact conditions in near space, where nearly thousands of spacecraft, including many from India, are stationed.

"The most spectacular displays from solar eruptions include northern lights, which are direct evidence that solar particles from Sun journey toward our planet," the expert clarifies.

"However, they may cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft malfunction, disable power grids and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Events

• The most powerful solar event in history was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out telegraph lines worldwide
• In 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, affecting six million people in darkness for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar activity disturbed air traffic control, leading to disruption across Scandinavia and various European airports
• In February 2022, an ejection had led to 38 commercial satellites failing

If we are able to observe events in the solar atmosphere and detect solar activity or solar eruption in real time, measure its heat at the source and watch its path, this serves as advanced warning to switch off power grids and satellites redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

While other space observatories observing our star, Aditya-L1 holds an edge compared to rivals regarding watching the corona.

"The instrument has perfect dimensions enabling it to effectively simulate the Moon, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere and allowing it continuous observation of almost all solar atmosphere around the clock, throughout the year, even during solar events," notes the expert.

In other words, this instrument functions as an artificial Moon, blocking the solar glare allowing researchers constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – something natural eclipses does only during eclipses.

Moreover, this is the only mission capable of examining eruptions using optical wavelengths, enabling it to determine eruption heat and heat energy – key clues that show the intensity of an eruption when traveling our direction.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

In preparation for the upcoming solar maximum, researchers worked together analyzing information obtained from one of the largest CMEs recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

This event began on 13 September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight totaled billions of tons – the iceberg that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

At origin, the heat reached extreme levels and the energy content was equivalent to millions of tons of TNT – in comparison nuclear weapons used in Japan were much smaller in scale respectively.

Even though the numbers make it sound massive, the expert classifies it as a moderate event.

The space rock which wiped out prehistoric life on Earth was 100 million megatons and during the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see eruptions carrying power matching greater levels.

"In my view the CME we evaluated happened when the Sun of typical solar activity. This establishes the benchmark for future comparison assessing what is in store during solar maximum arrives," he states.

"The insights from this will assist in work out the countermeasures to be adopted safeguarding spacecraft in orbit. Additionally, they'll aid achieving a better understanding of near-Earth space," he concludes.