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For Aditya-L1, 2026 is expected to be like no other.

It's the first time the spacecraft – that entered in orbit recently – will be able to observe the Sun when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

As per scientific data, it comes approximately once every 11 years as the Sun's magnetic poles flip – a similar Earth scenario would be the planet's poles changing places.

This period of great turbulence. It sees our star transition from calm to stormy and features a huge increase in the number of solar storms and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of fire that erupt from the solar corona.

Made up of ionized particles, a coronal mass ejection may have a mass of billions of tons and reach a speed exceeding 2,000 miles per second. It can travel in any direction, including towards our planet. At maximum velocity, it would take an ejection about half a day to traverse the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"During typical or quiet periods, our star launches two to three CMEs a day," says a leading scientist. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be 10 or more daily."

Studying coronal mass ejections ranks among the most important scientific objectives for the Indian first solar observatory. One, because the ejections offer a chance to study the Sun in the center of our solar system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the solar surface endanger systems on our planet and in orbit.

Effects on Earth and Orbital Systems

Coronal mass ejections rarely pose immediate danger to people, yet they impact our planet through generating geomagnetic storms affecting conditions in near space, where nearly 11,000 satellites, comprising many from India, orbit.

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

"However, they may make all the electronics on a satellite fail, disable electrical networks and disrupt meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Past Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar event ever recorded was the Carrington Event which knocked out communication systems across the globe
• During 1989, sections of Canadian electrical network was knocked out, leaving six million people in darkness for hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disturbed air traffic control, leading to disruption across Scandinavia and some other European airports
• In February 2022, a CME had led to 38 commercial satellites being lost

If we are able to see what happens on the Sun's corona and detect a solar storm or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, record its temperature at origin and watch its path, this serves as a forewarning to shut down electrical systems and satellites redirecting them out of harm's way.

The Mission's Special Capability

There are other space observatories watching the Sun, India's spacecraft holds an edge over others when it comes to watching the corona.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph is the exact size enabling it to nearly mimic lunar coverage, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of nearly the entire of the corona around the clock, 365 days a year, including during solar events," says the researcher.

Essentially, this instrument functions as a synthetic eclipse, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing researchers constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – a feat the real Moon provide only during eclipses.

Moreover, it's unique that can study eruptions using optical wavelengths, enabling it to measure a CME's temperature and thermal output – key clues that show the intensity of an eruption when traveling toward Earth.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

In preparation for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists worked together analyzing information obtained from one of the largest CMEs recorded by the mission has observed recently.

It originated in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that sank Titanic weighed much less.

At origin, its temperature reached extreme levels with energy equivalent comparable to millions of tons of TNT – in comparison the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were much smaller and 21 kilotons each.

Even though these figures seem incredibly large, the scientist classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The asteroid which wiped out the dinosaurs on our planet carried enormous energy and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, there may be CMEs with energy content equal to even more than that.

"In my view this eruption we evaluated happened during periods of typical solar activity. Now this sets the standard that we'll be using assessing what is in store when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he says.

"The insights gained will assist in developing protective measures to implement to protect satellites in near space. Additionally, they'll aid achieving deeper knowledge of our space environment," he adds.