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For Aditya-L1, 2026 will be like no other.

This marks the initial occasion the spacecraft – which was placed in orbit recently – will be able to observe our star when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

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

This period marked by intense activity. It involves the Sun transition from peaceful to violent and is marked by a huge increase in the number of solar storms and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of fire that erupt from the solar corona.

Composed of charged particles, a coronal mass ejection may have a mass up to a trillion kilograms and can attain velocities of up to 3,000km each second. It can travel toward various directions, including towards our planet. At maximum velocity, the journey takes an ejection 15 hours to cover the 150 million km between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or low-activity times, the Sun emits a few solar eruptions daily," explains an astrophysics expert. "Next year, we expect there will be over ten each day."

Researching coronal mass ejections is one of the key scientific objectives of India's maiden solar mission. Firstly, as these eruptions offer a chance to learn about the Sun in the center of our planetary system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the Sun threaten infrastructure on Earth and in space.

Effects on Earth and Orbital Systems

Coronal mass ejections rarely pose immediate danger to human life, but they do affect life on Earth by causing magnetic disturbances affecting conditions in near space, where about thousands of spacecraft, including many from India, orbit.

"The most beautiful displays from solar eruptions are auroras, being direct evidence that charged particles from our star journey toward our planet," the scientist clarifies.

"However, they may cause electronic systems on a satellite fail, knock down electrical networks and affect weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar storm ever recorded was the Carrington Event which knocked out communication systems worldwide
• In 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid was knocked out, leaving six million people in darkness for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar activity disrupted air traffic control, causing disruption in Sweden and some other European air hubs
• Recently in 2022, a CME caused dozens of spacecraft failing

With capability to observe what happens on the Sun's corona and detect a solar storm or solar eruption as it happens, record its temperature at the source and track its path, it can work as advanced warning to switch off electrical systems and satellites and move them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

There are other solar missions observing the Sun, 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 lunar coverage, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of nearly the entire solar atmosphere 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, even during solar events," says the researcher.

In other words, the coronagraph functions as an artificial Moon, obscuring the solar glare to let scientists constantly study its faint outer corona – a feat natural eclipses does only during specific moments.

Moreover, it's unique that can study eruptions in visible light, enabling it to measure a CME's temperature and thermal output – key clues that show the intensity of an eruption when traveling our direction.

Preparation for Peak Period

To prepare for next year's peak solar activity period, scientists worked together to study information obtained from a major solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now.

It originated on 13 September 2024 during early hours. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that sank Titanic was 1.5 million tonnes.

At origin, its temperature was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – relative to the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons respectively.

Although the numbers make it sound incredibly large, the scientist classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The asteroid which wiped out prehistoric life on Earth carried enormous energy and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see CMEs carrying power matching greater levels.

"In my view the CME we analyzed to have occurred when the Sun of typical solar activity. Now this sets the standard that we'll be using to evaluate what is in store when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he says.

"The insights from this will help us developing protective measures to be adopted to protect satellites in orbit. They will also help achieving a better understanding of near-Earth space," he concludes.