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

It's the first time the spacecraft – which was placed into space last year – can observe our star when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

As per scientific data, this occurs roughly once every 11 years as the Sun's magnetic poles flip – a similar Earth scenario could be the North and South poles swapping positions.

This period marked by intense activity. It involves the Sun changing from calm to stormy and is marked by a huge increase in the number of solar storms and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of plasma that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Made up of charged particles, a CME can weigh of billions of tons and can attain velocities exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out in any direction, including towards our planet. At top speed, 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 two to three CMEs daily," says a leading scientist. "Next year, it's anticipated there will be 10 or more daily."

Studying coronal mass ejections ranks among the key scientific objectives for the Indian first solar observatory. One, as these eruptions offer a chance to learn about the star at the centre of our solar system, and two, since events occurring on the Sun endanger systems on Earth and in space.

Impacts on Earth and Orbital Systems

Coronal mass ejections rarely pose immediate danger to human life, but they do affect life on Earth through generating geomagnetic storms that impact conditions in Earth's vicinity, where about 11,000 satellites, including Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most spectacular displays of a CME include northern lights, which are direct evidence that solar particles from our star journey to Earth," the scientist explains.

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

Past Solar Events

• The strongest solar event ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out telegraph lines worldwide
• In 1989, a part of Quebec's power grid was knocked out, affecting six million people in darkness for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disrupted air traffic control, leading to chaos in Sweden and various European airports
• In February 2022, a CME caused 38 commercial satellites failing

If we are able to observe events in the solar atmosphere and spot a solar storm or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, measure its heat at origin and track its trajectory, this serves as a forewarning to shut down electrical systems and spacecraft and move them to safety.

The Mission's Special Capability

While other space observatories watching the Sun, India's spacecraft has an advantage over others when it comes to watching the corona.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph has perfect dimensions that lets it effectively simulate lunar coverage, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere and allowing it continuous observation of almost all of the corona 24 hours a day, throughout the year, including during eclipses and occultations," notes the expert.

In other words, the coronagraph acts like a synthetic eclipse, blocking the Sun's bright surface allowing researchers constantly study its faint outer corona – something natural eclipses does only during eclipses.

Moreover, it's unique that can study eruptions in visible light, letting it determine a CME's temperature and thermal output – crucial data that show how strong a CME would be when traveling toward Earth.

Readiness for Peak Period

In preparation for next year's peak solar activity period, scientists worked together to study the data obtained from a major CMEs 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 weighed much less.

Initially, its temperature reached extreme levels and the energy content was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of TNT – relative to the atomic bombs used in Japan were much smaller and 21 kilotons each.

Although the numbers make it sound massive, the expert describes it as a "medium-sized" one.

The asteroid which wiped out prehistoric life on Earth was 100 million megatons and when solar peak occurs, there may be CMEs with energy content equal to even more than that.

"In my view the CME we evaluated to have occurred when the Sun of typical solar activity. This establishes the benchmark for future comparison assessing what to expect when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he says.

"The learnings gained will assist in developing protective measures to be adopted safeguarding satellites in orbit. They will also help us gain a better understanding of near-Earth space," he concludes.