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Regarding Aditya-L1, 2026 will be truly unique.

It's the first time the observatory – that entered in orbit recently – will be able to watch our star when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

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

It's a time marked by intense activity. It involves our star changing from calm to stormy and is marked by a significant rise in the number of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of fire that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of ionized particles, a CME may have a mass of billions of tons and can attain a speed exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out in any direction, including towards the Earth. At maximum velocity, the journey takes an ejection 15 hours to cover the 150 million km Earth-Sun distance.

"During typical or low-activity times, our star emits a few solar eruptions a day," says a leading scientist. "Next year, we expect there will be 10 or more each day."

Researching coronal mass ejections ranks among the key research goals for the Indian maiden solar mission. One, because the ejections offer a chance to learn about the star in the center of our solar system, and two, because activities occurring on the solar surface threaten systems on Earth and in orbit.

Effects on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

CMEs rarely pose immediate danger to human life, yet they impact life on Earth through generating geomagnetic storms that impact the weather in Earth's vicinity, where nearly thousands of spacecraft, including Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most spectacular displays from solar eruptions are auroras, being direct evidence that solar particles from Sun journey to Earth," the scientist explains.

"However, they may cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft malfunction, disable power grids and affect weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar storm in history occurred during the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out communication systems worldwide
• In 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network was knocked out, leaving millions without power for hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disrupted flight operations, causing disruption in Sweden and some other European air hubs
• Recently in 2022, an ejection had led to dozens of spacecraft being lost

If we are able to observe what happens in the solar atmosphere and spot solar activity or solar eruption as it happens, measure its heat at origin and track its trajectory, this serves as a forewarning to switch off electrical systems and satellites redirecting them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

There are other solar missions observing our star, Aditya-L1 has an advantage over others when it comes to watching the corona.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph is the exact size enabling it to effectively simulate lunar coverage, fully covering the solar disk and allowing it continuous observation of nearly the entire of the corona 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, even during eclipses and occultations," says the researcher.

In other words, this instrument acts like a synthetic eclipse, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – something the real Moon provide only during eclipses.

Moreover, this is the only mission capable of examining solar events using optical wavelengths, letting it determine a CME's temperature and thermal output – crucial data indicating the intensity a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

To prepare for the upcoming peak solar activity period, scientists worked together to study the data gathered from a major solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now.

This event began on 13 September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – for comparison that struck the ship weighed much less.

Initially, its temperature reached extreme levels with energy equivalent was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of TNT – in comparison the atomic bombs used in Japan were 15 kilotons in scale each.

Although the numbers seem massive, the scientist classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock which wiped out the dinosaurs on Earth carried enormous energy and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, there may be eruptions carrying power matching even more than that.

"In my view the CME we analyzed happened during periods of typical solar activity. Now this sets the standard for future comparison assessing what is in store during solar maximum occurs," he states.

"The insights from this will help us developing the countermeasures to implement to protect spacecraft in orbit. They will also help achieving a better understanding of our space environment," he concludes.