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

This marks the initial occasion the spacecraft – that entered in orbit recently – will be able to observe our star during the peak of its solar cycle.

According to scientific data, this occurs roughly every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – the Earth equivalent would be the North and South poles swapping positions.

This period marked by intense activity. It involves our star changing from calm to stormy and features a significant rise in the number of solar storms and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of plasma that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of ionized particles, a CME may have a mass of billions of tons and can attain a speed of up to 3,000km each second. It can head out toward various directions, including towards the Earth. At maximum velocity, it would take an ejection 15 hours to traverse the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or low-activity times, the Sun launches two to three CMEs a day," says an astrophysics expert. "Next year, it's anticipated them to be 10 or more each day."

Researching coronal mass ejections is one of the most important research goals of India's first solar observatory. One, as these eruptions offer a chance to study the star at the centre of our solar system, and secondly, since events that take place on the solar surface endanger systems on Earth and in space.

Impacts on Earth and Orbital Systems

Coronal mass ejections rarely pose a direct threat to human life, yet they impact our planet by causing magnetic disturbances that impact conditions in near space, where nearly thousands of spacecraft, comprising Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most beautiful manifestations of a CME include northern lights, which are direct evidence that solar particles from Sun are travelling toward our planet," the expert clarifies.

"However, they may cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft malfunction, disable electrical networks and affect meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Past Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar event ever recorded occurred during the 1859 solar superstorm that disabled telegraph lines worldwide
• During 1989, sections of Canadian electrical network was knocked out, affecting six million people without power for hours
• In November 2015, solar activity disrupted flight operations, causing disruption in Sweden and some other European airports
• Recently in 2022, a CME caused dozens of spacecraft failing

With capability to observe events in the solar atmosphere and spot a solar storm or solar eruption in real time, record its temperature at origin and track its trajectory, it can work as advanced warning to shut down electrical systems and spacecraft and move them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

While other solar missions watching our star, India's spacecraft has an advantage over others regarding watching the corona.

"The instrument is the exact size that lets it nearly mimic the Moon, fully covering the solar disk permitting an uninterrupted view of almost all of the corona 24 hours a day, throughout the year, even during eclipses and occultations," notes the expert.

Essentially, this instrument functions as an artificial Moon, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing researchers constantly study its faint outer corona – something the real Moon does only during specific moments.

Additionally, it's unique that can study solar events using optical wavelengths, letting it measure a CME's temperature and heat energy – key clues that show the intensity a CME would be when traveling toward Earth.

Preparation for Peak Period

To prepare for next year's peak solar activity period, scientists collaborated to study information gathered from one of the largest solar eruption that Aditya-L1 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, 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 used in Japan were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons each.

Although the numbers make it sound incredibly large, the scientist classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The asteroid which wiped out prehistoric life on our planet carried enormous energy and when solar peak occurs, there may be CMEs carrying power matching greater levels.

"I consider the CME we analyzed to have occurred when the Sun of typical solar activity. Now this sets the benchmark for future comparison assessing what is in store during solar maximum occurs," he states.

"The insights from this will help us developing the countermeasures to be adopted to protect satellites in near space. Additionally, they'll aid us gain deeper knowledge of near-Earth space," he concludes.