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Regarding Aditya-L1, the year 2026 is expected to be like no other.

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – that entered into space recently – can observe the Sun when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

According to scientific data, this occurs approximately every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent would be the North and South poles swapping positions.

This period of great turbulence. It involves the Sun changing from calm to stormy and features a huge increase in the frequency of solar storms and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of plasma that erupt from the solar corona.

Made up 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 in any direction, even toward the Earth. At maximum velocity, it would take a CME 15 hours to traverse the 150 million km Earth-Sun distance.

"In the normal or quiet periods, the Sun launches a few solar eruptions daily," says a leading scientist. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be 10 or more daily."

Researching CMEs is one of the most important research goals of India's first solar observatory. Firstly, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to study the Sun in the center of our planetary system, and two, because activities that take place on the solar surface endanger systems on Earth and in space.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

CMEs seldom present immediate danger to human life, but they do affect our planet by causing magnetic disturbances that impact conditions in near space, where about 11,000 satellites, including Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most beautiful manifestations from solar eruptions include northern lights, being a clear example that solar particles from our star journey to Earth," the scientist clarifies.

"But they can also cause electronic systems on a satellite malfunction, knock down electrical networks and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Past Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar event ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out telegraph lines across the globe
• In 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network was knocked out, affecting six million people in darkness for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disturbed flight operations, leading to disruption in Sweden and some other European airports
• In February 2022, a CME had led to 38 commercial satellites being lost

If we are able to observe events on the Sun's corona and detect a solar storm or solar eruption in real time, measure its heat at origin and watch its trajectory, this serves as a forewarning to shut down electrical systems and satellites redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

While other solar missions observing our star, Aditya-L1 holds an edge over others when it comes to studying the solar atmosphere.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph has perfect dimensions that lets it effectively simulate the Moon, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of almost all of the corona 24 hours a day, throughout the year, even during eclipses and occultations," says the researcher.

Essentially, this instrument functions as an artificial Moon, blocking the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists constantly study its faint outer corona – a feat the real Moon does only during specific moments.

Additionally, it's unique that can study solar events using optical wavelengths, enabling it to determine a CME's temperature and thermal output – crucial data indicating the intensity of an eruption when traveling our direction.

Readiness for Peak Period

In preparation for next year's solar maximum, scientists collaborated to study information gathered from a major solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has observed recently.

It originated on 13 September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that sank Titanic was 1.5 million tonnes.

At origin, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content was equivalent to millions of tons of TNT – relative to nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons respectively.

Although the numbers make it sound massive, the expert classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock which wiped out prehistoric life on Earth was 100 million megatons and when solar peak occurs, we could see eruptions with energy content equal to greater levels.

"In my view this eruption we evaluated to have occurred when the Sun of typical solar activity. This establishes the standard that we'll be using to evaluate what is in store when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he states.

"The learnings from this will help us developing protective measures to implement safeguarding satellites in orbit. Additionally, they'll aid achieving a better understanding of near-Earth space," he adds.