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Regarding India's first solar observatory, 2026 is expected to be like no other.

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

According to scientific data, this occurs roughly once every 11 years as the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent would be the planet's poles changing places.

It's a time marked by intense activity. It sees our star transition from peaceful to violent and is marked by a significant rise in the number of solar eruptions and massive solar flares – massive bubbles of plasma that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Made up of charged particles, a CME can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and reach velocities exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can travel in any direction, including towards the Earth. At maximum velocity, it would take an ejection about half a day to cover the 150 million km Earth-Sun distance.

"In the normal or low-activity times, the Sun launches a few solar eruptions daily," explains a leading scientist. "Next year, we expect there will be over ten each day."

Studying coronal mass ejections ranks among the key scientific objectives for the Indian maiden solar mission. Firstly, as these eruptions offer a chance to study the star at the centre of our solar system, and two, since events occurring on the solar surface endanger systems on our planet and in orbit.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

Coronal mass ejections rarely pose immediate danger to human life, but they do affect life on Earth by causing magnetic disturbances affecting the weather in Earth's vicinity, where nearly 11,000 satellites, including Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most beautiful displays from solar eruptions are auroras, being a clear example that solar particles from Sun journey toward our planet," the expert explains.

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

Past Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar storm in history occurred during the Carrington Event which knocked out communication systems worldwide
• During 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid was knocked out, affecting millions in darkness for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disturbed flight operations, causing chaos across Scandinavia and some other European airports
• Recently in 2022, a CME caused 38 commercial satellites being lost

If we are able to observe what happens in the solar atmosphere and spot a solar storm or solar eruption as it happens, measure its heat at the source and watch its trajectory, it can work as advanced warning to switch off power grids and spacecraft redirecting them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

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

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph has perfect dimensions enabling it to nearly mimic the Moon, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere permitting an uninterrupted view of almost all solar atmosphere 24 hours a day, throughout the year, including during solar events," says the expert.

Essentially, this instrument functions as an artificial Moon, obscuring the solar glare to let scientists continuously observe its faint outer corona – a feat the real Moon does only during specific moments.

Moreover, it's unique capable of examining eruptions in visible light, enabling it to determine a CME's temperature and thermal output – key clues that show the intensity of an eruption if it headed our direction.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

In preparation for next year's solar maximum, scientists worked together to study the data obtained from a major solar eruption recorded by the mission has observed recently.

It originated on 13 September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. Its mass totaled billions of tons – for comparison that struck the ship weighed much less.

Initially, the heat reached extreme levels and the energy content comparable to millions of tons of TNT – in comparison nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons respectively.

Even though the numbers make it sound incredibly large, the scientist classifies it as a moderate event.

The space rock which wiped out the dinosaurs on Earth carried enormous energy and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, there may be CMEs carrying power matching greater levels.

"In my view the CME we analyzed happened during periods of typical solar activity. Now this sets the standard that we'll be using to evaluate what to expect when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he states.

"The insights from this will assist in developing protective measures to be adopted safeguarding satellites in near space. They will also help achieving a better understanding of near-Earth space," he adds.