🔗 Share this article Why the Year 2026 Is Set to Be an Unprecedented Year for India's Solar Observation Mission A coronal mass ejection is much bigger than Earth For Aditya-L1, the year 2026 is expected to be like no other. This marks the initial occasion the observatory – that entered in orbit recently – can observe the Sun during its maximum activity cycle. As per research, it comes approximately every 11 years as the Sun's polarity reverses – the Earth equivalent would be the North and South poles swapping positions. It's a time marked by intense activity. It involves our star changing from peaceful to violent and is marked by a significant rise in the number of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – enormous clouds of fire that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer. Composed of ionized particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh of billions of tons and can attain a speed of up to 3,000km each second. It can head out toward various directions, including towards our planet. At maximum velocity, the journey takes a CME 15 hours to traverse the vast distance Earth-Sun distance. "During typical or low-activity times, our star emits two to three CMEs a day," explains an astrophysics expert. "Next year, it's anticipated them to be over ten each day." Studying CMEs is one of the most important research goals of India's first solar observatory. One, because the ejections offer a chance to study the Sun at the centre of our planetary system, and two, because activities that take place on the Sun endanger systems on our planet and in orbit. The aurora borealis illuminated the darkness over the US last autumn Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure CMEs seldom present immediate danger to human life, yet they impact our planet by causing magnetic disturbances that impact the weather in near space, where nearly 11,000 satellites, including Indian satellites, are stationed. "The most beautiful displays from solar eruptions are auroras, which are direct evidence that solar particles from Sun are travelling to Earth," the expert explains. "But they can also cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft fail, disable electrical networks and disrupt weather and communication satellites." Historical Solar Incidents The strongest solar event in history occurred during the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out communication systems worldwide In 1989, a part of Quebec's power grid failed, affecting millions in darkness for nine hours In November 2015, solar activity disrupted air traffic control, causing disruption in Sweden and various European air hubs Recently in 2022, a CME caused 38 commercial satellites failing If we are able to observe what happens on the Sun's corona and detect solar activity or solar eruption in real time, measure its heat at origin and watch its path, this serves as a forewarning to shut down power grids and spacecraft redirecting them out of harm's way. The solar atmosphere can be seen when the Moon blocks the Sun from our perspective The Mission's Special Capability While other solar missions observing the Sun, India's spacecraft has an advantage compared to rivals when it comes to watching the corona. "The instrument is the exact size that lets it nearly mimic lunar coverage, fully covering the solar disk permitting continuous observation of almost all of the corona around the clock, throughout the year, including during eclipses and occultations," notes the expert. Essentially, this instrument functions as a synthetic eclipse, blocking the solar glare to let researchers constantly study its faint outer corona – something natural eclipses provide only during eclipses. Additionally, it's unique that can study solar events in visible light, letting it determine a CME's temperature and heat energy – crucial data that show the intensity of an eruption if it headed toward Earth. Readiness for Peak Period To prepare for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists collaborated analyzing the data obtained from one of the largest solar eruption recorded by the mission has observed recently. It originated on 13 September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that sank Titanic weighed much less. At origin, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius with energy equivalent comparable to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – relative to nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were much smaller in scale each. Even though the numbers make it sound incredibly large, the expert describes it as a moderate event. The asteroid which wiped out the dinosaurs on Earth was 100 million megatons and during solar peak occurs, there may be eruptions with energy content equal to even more than that. "I consider this eruption we analyzed to have occurred when the Sun was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the standard for future comparison to evaluate what to expect when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he states. "The insights gained will assist in developing protective measures to be adopted safeguarding spacecraft in orbit. They will also help achieving deeper knowledge of our space environment," he adds.