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Regarding Aditya-L1, the year 2026 is expected to be truly unique.

It's the first time the observatory – which was placed into space recently – will be able to watch the Sun during the peak of its solar cycle.

According to research, this occurs approximately every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – a similar Earth scenario would be the planet's poles swapping positions.

It's a time of great turbulence. It involves the Sun changing from calm to stormy and is marked by a significant rise in the number of solar eruptions and massive solar flares – massive bubbles of fire that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer.

Made up of charged particles, a CME can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and can attain velocities of up to 3,000km per second. It can travel toward various directions, even toward the Earth. At maximum velocity, the journey takes a CME about half a day to traverse the 150 million km Earth-Sun distance.

"In the normal or quiet periods, the Sun emits two to three CMEs daily," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be 10 or more daily."

Studying CMEs is one of the key research goals of India's first solar observatory. One, because the ejections offer a chance to learn about the Sun at the centre of our planetary system, and secondly, since events that take place on the Sun endanger systems on our planet and in space.

Impacts on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

Coronal mass ejections seldom present a direct threat to people, yet they impact life on Earth through generating magnetic disturbances affecting the weather in near space, where about thousands of spacecraft, comprising many from India, orbit.

"The most beautiful displays of a CME are auroras, being a clear example that solar particles from Sun journey toward our planet," the expert clarifies.

"However, they may cause electronic systems on a satellite malfunction, disable electrical networks and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Past Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar storm ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm that disabled communication systems worldwide
• During 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, affecting 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, an ejection caused 38 commercial satellites failing

With capability to see what happens on the Sun's corona and spot a solar storm or solar eruption in real time, record its temperature at origin and watch its path, it can work as a forewarning to switch off power grids and spacecraft and move them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

There are other solar missions watching our star, India's spacecraft has an advantage over others when it comes to watching the corona.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph is the exact size that lets it nearly mimic the Moon, fully covering the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of nearly the entire solar atmosphere around the clock, throughout the year, even during solar events," says the researcher.

In other words, this instrument functions as an artificial Moon, obscuring the solar glare to let scientists continuously observe 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 determine eruption heat and thermal output – crucial data that show how strong of an eruption when traveling toward Earth.

Preparation for Peak Period

In preparation for the upcoming peak solar activity period, researchers collaborated analyzing information obtained from a major solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has observed recently.

It originated in September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight totaled billions of tons – for comparison that sank Titanic weighed much less.

At origin, the heat reached extreme levels with energy equivalent comparable to millions of tons of explosives – relative to nuclear weapons used in Japan were 15 kilotons in scale respectively.

Although the numbers seem massive, the scientist describes it as a moderate event.

The space rock that eliminated the dinosaurs on our planet carried enormous energy and during the Sun's maximum activity cycle, there may be CMEs with energy content equal to greater levels.

"I consider the CME we evaluated happened when the Sun of typical solar activity. This establishes the standard that we'll be using assessing what is in store when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he states.

"The learnings gained will help us work out protective measures to be adopted safeguarding satellites in near space. Additionally, they'll aid us gain a better understanding of near-Earth space," he concludes.