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For India's first solar observatory, the year 2026 is expected to be truly unique.

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – that entered into space last year – will be able to watch our star when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

According to research, this occurs approximately every 11 years as the Sun's polarity reverses – a similar Earth scenario could be the North and South poles changing places.

This period of great turbulence. It sees our star changing 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 of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of ionized particles, a CME can weigh of billions of tons and reach velocities of up to 3,000km per second. It can head out in any direction, even toward our planet. At maximum velocity, it would take a CME 15 hours to cover the 150 million km between Earth and the Sun.

"During typical or quiet periods, the Sun emits two to three CMEs daily," explains an astrophysics expert. "Next year, we expect them to be 10 or more daily."

Researching coronal mass ejections ranks among the most important scientific objectives for the Indian maiden solar mission. Firstly, because the ejections provide an opportunity to learn about the Sun at the centre of our solar system, and two, because activities occurring on the Sun endanger systems on our planet and in space.

Impacts on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

CMEs seldom present a direct threat to human life, yet they impact life on Earth through generating magnetic disturbances that impact the weather in near space, where about thousands of spacecraft, comprising Indian satellites, orbit.

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

"But they can also cause electronic systems on a satellite fail, disable electrical networks and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Past Solar Events

• The most powerful solar event ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm that disabled telegraph lines across the globe
• During 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network failed, affecting millions without power for nine hours
• During late 2015, solar activity disrupted flight operations, leading to disruption across Scandinavia and some other European airports
• Recently in 2022, an ejection caused 38 commercial satellites being lost

With capability to observe events in the solar atmosphere and spot a solar storm or solar eruption in real time, measure its heat at origin and watch its trajectory, it can work as a forewarning to shut down power grids and spacecraft redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

While other space observatories observing our star, Aditya-L1 holds an edge over others regarding watching the corona.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph is the exact size that lets it effectively simulate lunar coverage, fully covering the Sun's photosphere and allowing it an uninterrupted view of almost all of the corona 24 hours a day, throughout the year, including during solar events," says the researcher.

In other words, this instrument functions as an artificial Moon, blocking the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists constantly study its faint outer corona – a feat natural eclipses provide only during eclipses.

Additionally, it's unique that can study solar events in visible light, enabling it to measure a CME's temperature and thermal output – crucial data indicating the intensity of an eruption when traveling our direction.

Preparation for Peak Period

To prepare for next year's peak solar activity period, researchers collaborated analyzing the data gathered from one of the largest CMEs recorded by the mission has observed recently.

This event began in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. The eruption's weight totaled billions of tons – the iceberg that sank Titanic weighed much less.

At origin, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of TNT – relative to nuclear weapons used in Japan were 15 kilotons in scale respectively.

Although these figures seem incredibly large, the expert classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The asteroid that eliminated prehistoric life on Earth was 100 million megatons and during solar peak occurs, we could see eruptions with energy content equal to even more than that.

"I consider the CME we analyzed to have occurred during periods of typical solar activity. Now this sets the standard that we'll be using assessing what to expect when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he states.

"The insights from this will assist in work out protective measures to implement safeguarding satellites in orbit. Additionally, they'll aid achieving a better understanding of our space environment," he adds.