🔗 Share this article

Regarding India's first solar observatory, 2026 will be truly unique.

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – that entered into space recently – will be able to observe the Sun when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

According to research, it comes roughly every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – a similar Earth scenario would be the North and South poles swapping positions.

It's a time of great turbulence. It involves the Sun changing from calm to stormy and features a significant rise in the number of solar eruptions and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of plasma that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of charged particles, a coronal mass ejection may have a mass of billions of tons and reach velocities exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can travel in any direction, including towards the Earth. At maximum velocity, the journey takes a CME about half a day to cover the 150 million km Earth-Sun distance.

"In the normal or quiet periods, the Sun launches two to three CMEs a day," says an astrophysics expert. "Next year, we expect there will be over ten each day."

Studying coronal mass ejections ranks among the key research goals of India's maiden solar mission. Firstly, because the ejections provide an opportunity to learn about the star at the centre of our solar system, and two, since events occurring on the solar surface threaten systems on Earth and in orbit.

Impacts on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

CMEs rarely pose a direct threat to people, but they do affect our planet by causing geomagnetic storms that impact conditions in near space, where about 11,000 satellites, comprising Indian satellites, orbit.

"The most spectacular manifestations of a CME include northern lights, being direct evidence that solar particles from our star journey toward our planet," the expert explains.

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

Historical Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar storm ever recorded occurred during the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out communication systems across the globe
• During 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, leaving millions without power for nine hours
• During late 2015, solar activity disrupted flight operations, leading to chaos across Scandinavia and various European air hubs
• In February 2022, a CME had led to 38 commercial satellites being lost

If we are able to see events in the solar atmosphere and detect solar activity or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, measure its heat at the source and track its trajectory, it can work as advanced warning to switch off power grids and satellites and move them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

While other solar missions observing the Sun, India's spacecraft holds an edge compared to rivals regarding watching the corona.

"The instrument is the exact size enabling it to effectively simulate lunar coverage, fully covering the Sun's photosphere and allowing it an uninterrupted view of nearly the entire of the corona 24 hours a day, throughout the year, including during solar events," notes the researcher.

Essentially, this instrument acts like a synthetic eclipse, blocking the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – a feat the real Moon does only during specific moments.

Additionally, it's unique capable of examining eruptions in visible light, letting it determine eruption heat and thermal output – key clues indicating the intensity of an eruption when traveling our direction.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

In preparation for next year's peak solar activity period, researchers worked together to study information obtained from a major solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has observed recently.

This event began on 13 September 2024 during early hours. Its mass totaled billions of tons – the iceberg that struck the ship weighed much less.

At origin, 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 much smaller and 21 kilotons each.

Even though the numbers make it sound incredibly large, the scientist describes it as a moderate event.

The space rock that eliminated prehistoric life on Earth carried enormous energy and when solar peak occurs, we could see eruptions carrying power matching greater levels.

"I consider this eruption we analyzed to have occurred during periods was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the standard that we'll be using assessing what to expect when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he states.

"The insights from this will assist in developing the countermeasures to implement to protect satellites in orbit. They will also help us gain deeper knowledge of near-Earth space," he adds.