🔗 Share this article

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

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – which was placed into space recently – will be able to watch our star during the peak of its solar cycle.

As per scientific data, it comes roughly every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – the Earth equivalent could be the North and South poles swapping positions.

This period marked by intense activity. It sees our star transition from peaceful to violent and is marked by a significant rise in the number of solar storms and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of fire that blow out from the solar corona.

Composed of ionized particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and can attain a speed exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out toward various directions, including towards the Earth. At top speed, the journey takes an ejection about half a day to traverse the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"During typical or quiet periods, our star emits two to three CMEs daily," says an astrophysics expert. "Next year, we expect there will be over ten each day."

Studying CMEs is one of the key research goals for the Indian first solar observatory. Firstly, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to learn about the star in the center of our solar system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the solar surface threaten systems on Earth and in space.

Impacts on Earth and Space Infrastructure

Coronal mass ejections rarely pose immediate danger to human life, yet they impact life on Earth through generating magnetic disturbances affecting the weather in Earth's vicinity, where nearly thousands of spacecraft, comprising Indian satellites, orbit.

"The most spectacular displays of a CME include northern lights, which are direct evidence that solar particles from our star journey to Earth," the expert explains.

"But they can also cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft fail, disable electrical networks and disrupt meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar event in history was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out telegraph lines across the globe
• In 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network was knocked out, leaving six million people in darkness for hours
• During late 2015, solar activity disrupted air traffic control, leading to disruption in Sweden and some other European air hubs
• Recently in 2022, a CME caused 38 commercial satellites being lost

If we are able to see what happens in the solar atmosphere and spot a solar storm or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, record its temperature at the source and track its path, it can work as a forewarning to switch off power grids and spacecraft redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Unique Advantage

While other solar missions watching our star, India's spacecraft has an advantage compared to rivals regarding watching the corona.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph is the exact size enabling it to effectively simulate the Moon, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere permitting an uninterrupted view of almost all solar atmosphere around the clock, throughout the year, including during solar events," notes the researcher.

Essentially, this instrument functions as a synthetic eclipse, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing researchers continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – something the real Moon provide only during eclipses.

Moreover, this is the only mission that can study solar events using optical wavelengths, enabling it to determine a CME's temperature and thermal output – crucial data that show how strong a CME would be if it headed our direction.

Readiness for Peak Period

In preparation for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists collaborated to study the data obtained from one of the largest CMEs that Aditya-L1 has observed recently.

This event began on 13 September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

At origin, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content comparable to millions of tons of explosives – in comparison the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were much smaller and 21 kilotons respectively.

Although the numbers seem massive, the expert classifies it as a moderate event.

The space rock that eliminated prehistoric life on Earth was 100 million megatons and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see CMEs with energy content matching greater levels.

"I consider the CME we evaluated to have occurred during periods was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the standard that we'll be using assessing what to expect during solar maximum arrives," he states.

"The learnings gained will help us developing the countermeasures to be adopted safeguarding spacecraft in orbit. Additionally, they'll aid us gain deeper knowledge of our space environment," he concludes.