🔗 Share this article

Regarding India's first solar observatory, 2026 will be truly unique.

It's the first time the observatory – that entered in orbit last year – can observe the Sun during its maximum activity cycle.

As per scientific data, this occurs approximately every 11 years as the Sun's polarity reverses – the Earth equivalent could be the North and South poles changing places.

This period marked by intense activity. It involves our star transition from calm to stormy and is marked by a huge increase in the frequency of solar eruptions and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of plasma that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of charged particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh of billions of tons and can attain a speed 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 about half a day to cover the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or low-activity times, our star launches two to three CMEs daily," says a leading scientist. "In 2026, we expect there will be over ten each day."

Researching coronal mass ejections ranks among the key scientific objectives for the Indian maiden solar mission. One, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to learn about the Sun in the center of our solar system, and two, because activities that take place on the Sun threaten infrastructure on our planet and in orbit.

Effects on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

Coronal mass ejections seldom present a direct threat to people, yet they impact our planet by causing magnetic disturbances affecting the weather in near space, where nearly 11,000 satellites, including many from India, orbit.

"The most spectacular displays of a CME are auroras, which are direct evidence that charged particles from our star are travelling toward our planet," the expert explains.

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

Past Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar event in history was the 1859 solar superstorm that disabled communication systems across the globe
• During 1989, sections of Canadian electrical network failed, affecting millions without power for nine hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disturbed flight operations, leading to disruption in Sweden and some other European airports
• In February 2022, a CME had led to dozens of spacecraft being lost

If we are able to see what happens on the Sun's corona and spot solar activity or solar eruption as it happens, measure its heat at the source and watch its path, it can work as advanced warning to switch off electrical systems and satellites redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

There are other solar missions watching our star, Aditya-L1 holds an edge over others regarding watching the corona.

"The instrument is the exact size that lets it effectively simulate lunar coverage, fully covering the Sun's photosphere permitting an uninterrupted view of almost all solar atmosphere 24 hours a day, throughout the year, including during solar events," notes the expert.

Essentially, this instrument acts like an artificial Moon, blocking the solar glare allowing researchers continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – a feat natural eclipses provide only during eclipses.

Additionally, it's unique capable of examining eruptions using optical wavelengths, letting it determine eruption heat and thermal output – crucial data that show the intensity a CME would be when traveling toward Earth.

Readiness for Maximum Activity

In preparation for next year's solar maximum, researchers worked together analyzing the data gathered from a major CMEs recorded by the mission has observed recently.

This event began on 13 September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

Initially, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius with energy equivalent was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – in comparison nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons each.

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

The space rock which wiped out prehistoric life on our planet carried enormous energy and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see eruptions with energy content matching greater levels.

"I consider the CME we evaluated happened when the Sun was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the standard that we'll be using to evaluate what to expect when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he says.

"The learnings gained will help us developing protective measures to be adopted safeguarding spacecraft in near space. Additionally, they'll aid achieving a better understanding of near-Earth space," he concludes.