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Regarding Aditya-L1, 2026 is expected to be truly unique.

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – which was placed in orbit last year – can observe the Sun when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

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

This period marked by intense activity. It involves our star changing from peaceful to violent and features a significant rise in the frequency of solar storms and massive solar flares – massive bubbles of fire that blow out from the solar corona.

Composed of ionized particles, a coronal mass ejection may have a mass of billions of tons and can attain a speed of up to 3,000km each second. It can head out toward various directions, even toward the Earth. At maximum velocity, it would take a CME 15 hours to traverse the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or low-activity times, our star launches two to three CMEs a day," says a leading scientist. "Next year, we expect them to be 10 or more daily."

Studying CMEs is one of the key scientific objectives for the Indian first solar observatory. Firstly, as these eruptions offer a chance to study the Sun at the centre of our solar system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the Sun threaten systems on Earth and in space.

Impacts on Earth and Orbital Systems

CMEs rarely pose immediate danger to human life, yet they impact our planet by causing geomagnetic storms affecting conditions in near space, where about 11,000 satellites, comprising many from India, orbit.

"The most beautiful manifestations of a CME are auroras, being direct evidence that solar particles from our star journey to Earth," the expert clarifies.

"But they can also cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft fail, disable electrical networks and affect meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Past Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar event ever recorded occurred during the Carrington Event that disabled telegraph lines across the globe
• During 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, affecting millions without power for hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disrupted air traffic control, leading to disruption in Sweden and various European airports
• In February 2022, an ejection had led to dozens of spacecraft failing

If we are able to observe events in the solar atmosphere and detect a solar storm or solar eruption in real time, record its temperature at the source and watch its path, this serves as a forewarning to switch off power grids and spacecraft redirecting them to safety.

The Mission's Unique Advantage

There are other space observatories observing our star, Aditya-L1 holds an edge compared to rivals when it comes to studying the solar atmosphere.

"The instrument is the exact size that lets it effectively simulate the Moon, completely blocking the solar disk and allowing it continuous observation of nearly the entire solar atmosphere 24 hours a day, throughout the year, including during solar events," notes the researcher.

Essentially, the coronagraph acts like an artificial Moon, obscuring the Sun's bright surface to let researchers continuously observe its faint outer corona – something natural eclipses does only during specific moments.

Additionally, it's unique capable of examining solar events using optical wavelengths, letting it measure eruption heat and thermal output – key clues that show the intensity of an eruption if it headed toward Earth.

Readiness for Peak Period

In preparation for next year's peak solar activity period, researchers worked together analyzing the data obtained from a major CMEs that Aditya-L1 has observed recently.

This event began on 13 September 2024 during early hours. Its mass totaled billions of tons – for comparison that sank Titanic weighed much less.

Initially, its temperature was 1.8 million degrees Celsius with energy equivalent comparable to millions of tons 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 describes it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock which wiped out prehistoric life on Earth carried enormous energy and when solar peak occurs, there may be eruptions carrying power matching even more than that.

"I consider this eruption we analyzed happened during periods was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the standard for future comparison assessing what to expect during solar maximum occurs," he says.

"The insights gained will help us work out protective measures to implement to protect satellites in near space. Additionally, they'll aid us gain deeper knowledge of near-Earth space," he concludes.