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Regarding Aditya-L1, the year 2026 will be like no other.

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – that entered in orbit last year – will be able to watch the Sun when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle.

According to scientific data, this occurs roughly once every 11 years as the Sun's polarity reverses – the Earth equivalent could be the planet's poles changing places.

This period of great turbulence. It involves the Sun transition from calm to stormy and features a significant rise in the frequency of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of fire that erupt from the solar corona.

Made up of ionized particles, a CME can weigh of billions of tons and reach a speed of up to 3,000km each second. It can travel in any direction, including towards the Earth. At top speed, it would take a CME 15 hours to traverse the vast distance Earth-Sun distance.

"During typical or low-activity times, the Sun emits a few solar eruptions daily," says a leading scientist. "Next year, it's anticipated there will be 10 or more daily."

Researching CMEs ranks among the key scientific objectives of India's maiden solar mission. Firstly, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to learn about the star at the centre of our planetary system, and two, since events that take place on the solar surface endanger infrastructure on Earth and in orbit.

Effects on Earth and Orbital Systems

Coronal mass ejections seldom present immediate danger to human life, yet they impact life on Earth by causing magnetic disturbances affecting the weather in Earth's vicinity, where about 11,000 satellites, comprising Indian satellites, orbit.

"The most spectacular displays of a CME are auroras, being direct evidence that solar particles from our star journey to Earth," the scientist explains.

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

Historical Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar storm ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm that disabled communication systems across the globe
• In 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid was knocked out, leaving millions in darkness for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar activity disrupted flight operations, leading to disruption across Scandinavia and various European airports
• Recently in 2022, an ejection had led to dozens of spacecraft being lost

If we are able to observe what happens in the solar atmosphere and spot a solar storm or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, measure its heat at the source and watch its trajectory, it can work as a forewarning to shut down electrical systems and satellites and move them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

There are other solar missions observing the Sun, Aditya-L1 holds an edge compared to rivals regarding watching the corona.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph has perfect dimensions that lets it nearly mimic lunar coverage, completely blocking the solar disk and allowing it an uninterrupted view of nearly the entire of the corona 24 hours a day, throughout the year, even during solar events," notes the expert.

In other words, the coronagraph acts like a synthetic eclipse, blocking the solar glare to let scientists continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – a feat the real Moon does only during eclipses.

Moreover, it's unique that can study eruptions in visible light, enabling it to measure a CME's temperature and heat energy – key clues that show how strong a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Preparation for Peak Period

To prepare for the upcoming solar maximum, researchers worked together to study information obtained from a major CMEs recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

This event began on 13 September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. The eruption's weight totaled billions of tons – the iceberg that struck the ship weighed much less.

Initially, the heat reached extreme levels with energy equivalent comparable to millions of tons of TNT – relative to nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 15 kilotons in scale each.

Even though the numbers seem massive, the scientist classifies it as a moderate event.

The asteroid which wiped out the dinosaurs on Earth carried enormous energy and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, there may be CMEs carrying power equal to greater levels.

"In my view the CME we analyzed happened during periods of typical solar activity. Now this sets the benchmark that we'll be using to evaluate what is in store during solar maximum occurs," he says.

"The learnings gained will help us work out protective measures to be adopted safeguarding satellites in near space. Additionally, they'll aid achieving deeper knowledge of our space environment," he concludes.