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

This marks the initial occasion 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 research, this occurs approximately once every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – a similar Earth scenario could be the North and South poles swapping positions.

It's a time of great turbulence. It involves our star changing from peaceful to violent and features 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 coronal mass ejection may have a mass up to a trillion kilograms and can attain a speed exceeding 2,000 miles per second. It can travel toward various directions, even toward the Earth. At top speed, it would take a CME 15 hours to cover the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or quiet periods, our star emits two to three CMEs daily," says an astrophysics expert. "Next year, it's anticipated there will be over ten each day."

Studying coronal mass ejections is one of the most important research goals for the Indian first solar observatory. One, because the ejections provide an opportunity to learn about the star in the center of our solar system, and secondly, since events occurring on the Sun threaten systems on our planet and in space.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

CMEs rarely pose a direct threat to human life, yet they impact life on Earth through generating magnetic disturbances that impact conditions in near space, where about thousands of spacecraft, comprising Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most spectacular displays of a CME are auroras, which are direct evidence that charged particles from Sun journey toward our planet," the expert explains.

"But they can also make all the electronics aboard spacecraft fail, knock down electrical networks and disrupt meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar storm ever recorded occurred during the Carrington Event that disabled telegraph lines worldwide
• During 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, leaving six million people without power for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disturbed air traffic control, leading to disruption across Scandinavia and some other European air hubs
• Recently in 2022, an ejection had led to dozens of spacecraft failing

If we are able to observe what happens in the solar atmosphere and spot a solar storm or a coronal mass ejection in real time, record its temperature at origin and watch its path, this serves as advanced warning to switch off power grids and satellites and move them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

While other space observatories observing the Sun, Aditya-L1 holds an edge over others regarding studying the solar atmosphere.

"The instrument has perfect dimensions that lets it nearly mimic the Moon, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere and allowing it continuous observation of almost all solar atmosphere around the clock, throughout the year, including during eclipses and occultations," says the expert.

Essentially, this instrument functions as a synthetic eclipse, obscuring the solar glare to let researchers constantly study its faint outer corona – a feat natural eclipses provide only during eclipses.

Additionally, it's unique capable of examining eruptions using optical wavelengths, letting it measure a CME's temperature and heat energy – key clues indicating the intensity a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Readiness for Peak Period

In preparation for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists collaborated analyzing the data gathered from a major solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now.

This event began on 13 September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. Its mass totaled billions of tons – the iceberg that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

At origin, the heat reached extreme levels with energy equivalent comparable to 2.2 million megatons of TNT – relative to the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons respectively.

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

The asteroid which wiped out the dinosaurs on Earth carried enormous energy and when solar peak occurs, there may be eruptions with energy content equal to greater levels.

"I consider the CME we evaluated happened when the Sun of typical solar activity. Now this sets the standard that we'll be using assessing what is in store during solar maximum occurs," he says.

"The learnings from this will help us work out the countermeasures to implement to protect satellites in orbit. They will also help us gain a better understanding of our space environment," he concludes.