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

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – that entered in orbit last year – will be able to observe the Sun during the peak of its solar cycle.

According to scientific data, this occurs approximately every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – a similar Earth scenario would be the planet's poles changing places.

It's a time marked by intense activity. It involves our star transition from peaceful to violent and is marked by a significant rise in the number of solar storms and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of fire that erupt from the solar corona.

Composed of charged particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh of billions of tons and can attain velocities exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out toward various directions, including towards the Earth. At top speed, the journey takes a CME about half a day to cover the 150 million km between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or quiet periods, the Sun launches two to three CMEs daily," explains an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, we expect there will be over ten each day."

Studying CMEs ranks among the most important scientific objectives for the Indian first solar observatory. Firstly, because the ejections offer a chance to study the star in the center of our solar system, and secondly, because activities occurring on the solar surface threaten systems on Earth and in space.

Impacts on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

CMEs seldom present a direct threat to human life, but they do affect our planet through generating magnetic disturbances affecting the weather in Earth's vicinity, where nearly 11,000 satellites, including many from India, 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 scientist explains.

"However, they may make all the electronics aboard spacecraft fail, knock down power grids and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar event ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out telegraph lines across the globe
• During 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid was knocked out, affecting six million people in darkness for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disturbed flight operations, leading to disruption in Sweden and various European airports
• In February 2022, an ejection caused dozens of spacecraft being lost

With capability to see events on the Sun's corona and detect solar activity or solar eruption in real time, measure its heat at origin and track its trajectory, it can work as a forewarning to shut down power grids and spacecraft and move them out of harm's way.

The Mission's Special Capability

There are other space observatories watching the Sun, Aditya-L1 has an advantage over others when it comes to watching the corona.

"The instrument has perfect dimensions that lets it nearly mimic lunar coverage, completely blocking the solar disk permitting continuous observation of nearly the entire of the corona around the clock, throughout the year, including during solar events," says the researcher.

Essentially, this instrument functions as an artificial Moon, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – a feat the real Moon provide only during eclipses.

Additionally, it's unique capable of examining eruptions in visible light, enabling it to determine eruption heat and thermal output – crucial data that show the intensity a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Readiness for Maximum Activity

In preparation for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists worked together analyzing the data gathered from a major solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now.

This event began in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. Its mass totaled billions of tons – the iceberg that sank Titanic was 1.5 million tonnes.

Initially, its temperature was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content comparable to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – in comparison nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were much smaller and 21 kilotons respectively.

Even though these figures seem incredibly large, the scientist describes it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock which wiped out the dinosaurs on our planet carried enormous energy and during solar peak occurs, there may be eruptions with energy content equal to greater levels.

"In my view this eruption we analyzed happened during periods of typical solar activity. This establishes the standard that we'll be using to evaluate what is in store during solar maximum arrives," he states.

"The insights gained will assist in work out protective measures to implement safeguarding satellites in orbit. They will also help us gain deeper knowledge of our space environment," he adds.