🔗 Share this article

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

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – that entered in orbit last year – can watch our star during its maximum activity cycle.

According to research, it comes approximately every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – 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 frequency of solar eruptions and massive solar flares – massive bubbles of plasma that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Made up of ionized particles, a CME can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and can attain velocities of up to 3,000km per second. It can travel in any direction, even toward the Earth. At top speed, it would take a CME about half a day to cover the 150 million km between Earth and the Sun.

"During typical or quiet periods, our star emits a few solar eruptions a day," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be 10 or more each day."

Researching coronal mass ejections is one of the most important scientific objectives 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, because activities that take place on the solar surface endanger systems on Earth and in orbit.

Impacts on Earth and Space Infrastructure

Coronal mass ejections seldom present immediate danger to human life, yet they impact our planet through generating geomagnetic storms affecting the weather in Earth's vicinity, where about thousands of spacecraft, comprising many from India, orbit.

"The most spectacular displays from solar eruptions include northern lights, being a clear example that charged particles from Sun journey toward our planet," the expert clarifies.

"But they can also make all the electronics on a satellite malfunction, disable electrical networks and affect weather and communication satellites."

Past Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar event in history was the Carrington Event that disabled communication systems across the globe
• During 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network failed, affecting six million people in darkness for hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disrupted air traffic control, leading to disruption in Sweden and various European airports
• Recently in 2022, a CME caused dozens of spacecraft being lost

If we are able to observe events in the solar atmosphere and detect solar activity or a coronal mass ejection in real time, measure its heat at the source and track its trajectory, this serves as advanced warning to shut down electrical systems and satellites redirecting them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

There are other solar missions watching the Sun, Aditya-L1 has an advantage compared to rivals when it comes to watching the corona.

"The instrument has perfect dimensions enabling it to effectively simulate lunar coverage, fully covering the Sun's photosphere permitting an uninterrupted view of almost all of the corona 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including during solar events," notes the researcher.

Essentially, this instrument acts like a synthetic eclipse, blocking the Sun's bright surface to let researchers continuously observe 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 heat energy – crucial data indicating the intensity a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Preparation for Peak Period

To prepare for next year's peak solar activity period, researchers collaborated to study information obtained from one of the largest CMEs that Aditya-L1 has observed recently.

It originated in September 2024 during early hours. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that struck the ship weighed much less.

At origin, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius with energy equivalent comparable to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – relative to nuclear weapons used in Japan were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons respectively.

Even though the numbers seem massive, the scientist classifies it as a moderate event.

The space rock which wiped out prehistoric life on our planet carried enormous energy and during the Sun's maximum activity cycle, there may be eruptions carrying power equal to greater levels.

"I consider this eruption we analyzed to have occurred when the Sun of typical solar activity. This establishes the standard for future comparison to evaluate what to expect when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he says.

"The insights gained will help us work out protective measures to be adopted to protect spacecraft in near space. Additionally, they'll aid us gain deeper knowledge of our space environment," he concludes.