🔗 Share this article

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

It's the first time the observatory – that entered into space last year – will be able to observe the Sun when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

According to research, this occurs roughly once every 11 years as the Sun's magnetic poles flip – a similar Earth scenario would be the North and South poles swapping positions.

It's a time marked by intense activity. It sees the Sun transition from calm to stormy and is marked by a significant rise in the number of solar eruptions and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of plasma that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of charged particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh of billions of tons and reach velocities of up to 3,000km each second. It can travel in any direction, even toward the Earth. At maximum velocity, the journey takes a CME about half a day to cover the vast distance Earth-Sun distance.

"During typical or low-activity times, the Sun emits a few solar eruptions daily," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be over ten each day."

Researching coronal mass ejections ranks among the most important scientific objectives for the Indian maiden solar mission. One, as these eruptions offer a chance to study the Sun at the centre of our solar system, and two, because activities occurring on the Sun threaten systems on our planet and in orbit.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

CMEs rarely pose a direct threat to human life, yet they impact our planet through generating magnetic disturbances affecting the weather 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 solar particles from Sun journey toward our planet," the scientist clarifies.

"However, they may make all the electronics aboard spacecraft malfunction, knock down power grids and affect weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar event in history occurred during the Carrington Event that disabled communication systems worldwide
• In 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, leaving millions without power for hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disrupted flight operations, causing disruption across Scandinavia and various European airports
• In February 2022, a CME caused dozens of spacecraft being lost

With capability to observe what happens on the Sun's corona and spot solar activity or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, record its temperature at origin and track its trajectory, this serves as advanced warning to shut down electrical systems and satellites and move them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

While other space observatories observing our star, India's spacecraft has an advantage over others regarding watching the corona.

"The instrument is the exact size that lets it effectively simulate the Moon, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere and allowing it an uninterrupted view of almost all of the corona 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including during eclipses and occultations," says the expert.

In other words, this instrument 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 eclipses.

Moreover, this is the only mission capable of examining eruptions in visible light, enabling it to measure a CME's temperature and heat energy – key clues indicating how strong of an eruption when traveling toward Earth.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

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

It originated in September 2024 during early hours. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that struck the ship weighed much less.

Initially, its temperature reached extreme levels with energy equivalent comparable to millions of tons of TNT – relative to the atomic bombs used in Japan were 15 kilotons in scale respectively.

Although the numbers make it sound incredibly large, the scientist classifies it as a moderate event.

The space rock that eliminated prehistoric life on Earth was 100 million megatons and during solar peak occurs, there may be eruptions carrying power matching greater levels.

"I consider this eruption we analyzed happened during periods of typical solar activity. Now this sets the benchmark for future comparison assessing what to expect when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he states.

"The learnings gained will assist in work out the countermeasures to implement to protect satellites in near space. Additionally, they'll aid us gain a better understanding of our space environment," he concludes.