🔗 Share this article

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

It's the first time the spacecraft – that entered in orbit last year – can watch our star when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

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

This period marked by intense activity. 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 blow out from the solar corona.

Made up of ionized particles, a coronal mass ejection may have a mass of billions of tons and reach velocities exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out in any direction, even toward our planet. At top speed, it would take a CME 15 hours to traverse the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"During typical or low-activity times, our star launches a few solar eruptions daily," explains an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, we expect there will be 10 or more each day."

Studying CMEs is one of the key scientific objectives of India's maiden solar mission. One, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to learn about the Sun at the centre of our solar system, and two, because activities occurring on the solar surface threaten systems on Earth and in space.

Impacts on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

Coronal mass ejections rarely pose immediate danger to human life, yet they impact life on Earth by causing magnetic disturbances that impact conditions in near space, where about 11,000 satellites, comprising Indian satellites, orbit.

"The most spectacular displays from solar eruptions are auroras, being a clear example that charged particles from Sun are travelling toward our planet," the expert explains.

"However, they may cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft fail, knock down power grids and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar storm ever recorded was the Carrington Event which knocked out telegraph lines across the globe
• In 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network failed, affecting millions in darkness for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar activity disturbed flight operations, causing disruption in Sweden and various European airports
• In February 2022, an ejection caused dozens of spacecraft being lost

If we are able to see what happens on the Sun's corona and detect solar activity or solar eruption in real time, measure its heat at the source and watch its path, this serves as advanced warning to switch off power grids and satellites and move them out of harm's way.

The Mission's Unique Advantage

While other solar missions observing the Sun, Aditya-L1 holds an edge compared to rivals regarding studying the solar atmosphere.

"The instrument is the exact size enabling it to nearly mimic the Moon, fully covering the Sun's photosphere permitting an uninterrupted view of nearly the entire of the corona around the clock, throughout the year, including during eclipses and occultations," says the researcher.

In other words, the coronagraph acts like an artificial Moon, obscuring the Sun's bright surface to let scientists constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – something natural eclipses does only during eclipses.

Moreover, it's unique capable of examining solar events in visible light, letting it determine eruption heat and heat energy – crucial data that show how strong a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

To prepare for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists worked together analyzing the data obtained from a major solar eruption recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

This event began on 13 September 2024 during early hours. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – for comparison that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

Initially, its temperature reached extreme levels and the energy content comparable to millions of tons of explosives – in comparison nuclear weapons used in Japan were much smaller in scale respectively.

Even though these figures make it sound massive, the expert classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock which wiped out prehistoric life on our planet carried enormous energy and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see CMEs with energy content matching greater levels.

"In my view the CME we evaluated happened during periods was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the benchmark for future comparison assessing what to expect when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he says.

"The learnings from this will help us developing protective measures to be adopted safeguarding spacecraft in near space. Additionally, they'll aid achieving deeper knowledge of near-Earth space," he adds.