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Regarding Aditya-L1, the year 2026 will be like no other.

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – which was placed into space recently – will be able to observe our star when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

According to research, this occurs roughly once every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent would be the North and South poles swapping positions.

It's a time marked by intense activity. It involves our star changing from peaceful to violent and features a significant rise in the number of solar eruptions and massive solar flares – massive bubbles of plasma that blow out from the solar corona.

Composed of ionized particles, a CME may have a mass of billions of tons and reach a speed exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can travel in any direction, including towards our planet. At maximum velocity, it would take an ejection 15 hours to cover the 150 million km Earth-Sun distance.

"During typical or quiet periods, the Sun emits a few solar eruptions a day," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, it's anticipated them to be 10 or more each day."

Researching CMEs ranks among the key research goals of India's first solar observatory. Firstly, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to learn about the star in the center of our planetary system, and two, since events that take place on the Sun threaten systems on our planet and in orbit.

Effects on Earth and Orbital Systems

Coronal mass ejections rarely pose immediate danger to people, yet they impact our planet by causing magnetic disturbances that impact conditions in Earth's vicinity, where nearly thousands of spacecraft, including Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most beautiful manifestations of a CME include northern lights, being a clear example that charged particles from our star journey toward our planet," the scientist explains.

"But they can also cause electronic systems on a satellite malfunction, knock down power grids and affect meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Past Solar Events

• The most powerful solar storm ever recorded occurred during the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out communication systems worldwide
• In 1989, a part of Quebec's power grid failed, leaving six million people in darkness for hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disrupted air traffic control, leading to disruption in Sweden and various European air hubs
• In February 2022, a CME caused dozens of spacecraft being lost

With capability to see what happens on the Sun's corona and detect a solar storm or solar eruption as it happens, measure its heat at origin and watch its path, it can work as advanced warning to switch off electrical systems and spacecraft redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

There are other space observatories watching the Sun, Aditya-L1 holds an edge compared to rivals when it comes to watching the corona.

"The instrument has perfect dimensions enabling it to nearly mimic lunar coverage, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere and allowing it continuous observation of almost all of the corona around the clock, throughout the year, including during solar events," notes the expert.

Essentially, the coronagraph functions as an artificial Moon, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists continuously observe its faint outer corona – something natural eclipses does only during eclipses.

Additionally, it's unique capable of examining eruptions in visible light, enabling it to measure eruption heat and thermal output – key clues that show how strong a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Readiness for Maximum Activity

In preparation for the upcoming peak solar activity period, scientists collaborated to study the data obtained from a major solar eruption recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

This event began on 13 September 2024 during early hours. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – for comparison that sank Titanic was 1.5 million tonnes.

Initially, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content comparable to 2.2 million megatons of TNT – in comparison the atomic bombs used in Japan were 15 kilotons in scale respectively.

Even though the numbers seem massive, the scientist classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The asteroid which wiped out prehistoric life on our planet was 100 million megatons and when solar peak occurs, we could see eruptions carrying power matching even more than that.

"In my view this eruption we evaluated to have occurred when the Sun was in the normal activity phase. This establishes the benchmark for future comparison assessing what is in store during solar maximum arrives," he says.

"The insights from this will assist in work out protective measures to be adopted to protect spacecraft in near space. They will also help us gain a better understanding of near-Earth space," he concludes.