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For India's first solar observatory, the year 2026 is expected to be like no other.

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

As per scientific data, it comes roughly once every 11 years as the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent would be the planet's poles swapping positions.

It's a time 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 coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of plasma that erupt from the solar corona.

Composed of charged particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and can attain velocities exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out toward various directions, including towards our planet. At maximum velocity, the journey takes an ejection 15 hours to traverse the 150 million km between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or low-activity times, the Sun launches two to three CMEs daily," explains an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be 10 or more each day."

Studying coronal mass ejections is one of the key research goals for the Indian maiden solar mission. One, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to learn about the star at the centre of our solar system, and two, because activities that take place on the Sun endanger systems on our planet and in orbit.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

Coronal mass ejections seldom present a direct threat to people, yet they impact our planet by causing geomagnetic storms that impact conditions in Earth's vicinity, where about 11,000 satellites, comprising many from India, orbit.

"The most beautiful displays of a CME include northern lights, which are a clear example that solar particles from our star journey toward our planet," the expert clarifies.

"But they can also make all the electronics aboard spacecraft fail, knock down power grids and disrupt meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar event ever recorded occurred during the Carrington Event which knocked out telegraph lines worldwide
• In 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network failed, affecting six million people without power for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar activity disrupted air traffic control, leading to disruption in Sweden and various European air hubs
• In February 2022, an ejection caused dozens of spacecraft failing

If we are able to observe what happens on the Sun's corona and detect solar activity or solar eruption in real time, record its temperature at origin and watch its path, it can work as advanced warning to switch off electrical systems and spacecraft redirecting them to safety.

The Mission's Unique Advantage

While other space observatories watching the Sun, India's spacecraft holds an edge over others 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 and allowing it continuous observation of almost all of the corona around the clock, throughout the year, even during eclipses and occultations," notes the expert.

In other words, the coronagraph acts like an artificial Moon, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing researchers continuously observe its faint outer corona – a feat natural eclipses provide only during specific moments.

Additionally, this is the only mission capable of examining solar events in visible light, letting it measure a CME's temperature and heat energy – crucial data that show how strong a CME would be when traveling toward Earth.

Readiness for Peak Period

To prepare for next year's peak solar activity period, scientists worked together analyzing information gathered from one of the largest CMEs that Aditya-L1 has observed recently.

This event began in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that struck the ship weighed much less.

Initially, its temperature reached extreme levels and the energy content comparable to millions of tons of explosives – in comparison nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were much smaller and 21 kilotons respectively.

Although these figures make it sound massive, the expert classifies it as a moderate event.

The space rock which wiped out prehistoric life on Earth carried enormous energy and during the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see CMEs carrying power equal to greater levels.

"I consider this eruption we analyzed to have occurred during periods of typical solar activity. Now this sets the benchmark that we'll be using to evaluate what to expect during solar maximum occurs," he says.

"The insights gained will assist in developing the countermeasures to be adopted safeguarding spacecraft in orbit. Additionally, they'll aid us gain a better understanding of near-Earth space," he adds.