Why the Year 2026 Will Be an Unprecedented Year for India's Solar Observation Mission

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

This marks the initial occasion the spacecraft – which was placed into space recently – can watch our star during the peak of its solar cycle.

According to research, this occurs roughly once every 11 years when the Sun's polarity reverses – the Earth equivalent would be the planet's poles swapping positions.

It's a time of great turbulence. It sees the Sun transition from peaceful to violent and is marked by a significant rise in the frequency of solar storms and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of plasma that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer.

Made up of ionized particles, a CME can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and can attain a speed of up to 3,000km per second. It can travel toward various directions, including towards our planet. At maximum velocity, the journey takes a CME about half a day to cover the 150 million km between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or low-activity times, our star launches a few solar eruptions a day," says a leading scientist. "Next year, it's anticipated there will be over ten each day."

Researching coronal mass ejections is one of the key scientific objectives for the Indian first solar observatory. Firstly, because the ejections offer a chance to study the Sun at the centre of our planetary system, and secondly, since events that take place on the solar surface endanger infrastructure on our planet and in orbit.

Impacts on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

CMEs rarely pose a direct threat to people, but they do affect our planet by causing magnetic disturbances affecting conditions in near space, where about 11,000 satellites, comprising Indian satellites, orbit.

"The most spectacular displays from solar eruptions are auroras, being direct evidence that charged particles from our star journey toward our planet," the expert clarifies.

"However, they may cause electronic systems on a satellite fail, knock down power grids and affect weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar event in history was the Carrington Event which knocked out communication systems worldwide
• In 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, affecting millions without power for hours
• During late 2015, solar activity disturbed air traffic control, causing chaos across Scandinavia and various European airports
• In February 2022, a CME caused dozens of spacecraft failing

With capability to see what happens in the solar atmosphere and detect a solar storm or solar eruption in real time, measure its heat at origin and watch its path, it can work as advanced warning to switch off electrical systems and satellites redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

While other solar missions watching the Sun, India's spacecraft holds an edge compared to rivals when it comes to studying the solar atmosphere.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph is the exact size enabling it to effectively simulate lunar coverage, fully covering the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of nearly the entire solar atmosphere around the clock, throughout the year, including during solar events," notes the expert.

In other words, this instrument functions as an artificial Moon, blocking the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – something natural eclipses provide only during eclipses.

Moreover, this is the only mission that can study solar events in visible light, enabling it to determine eruption heat and heat energy – crucial data that show how strong a CME would be when traveling our direction.

Readiness for Maximum Activity

In preparation for next year's solar maximum, researchers worked together analyzing the data obtained from a major solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has observed recently.

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.

At origin, the heat reached extreme levels and the energy content comparable to 2.2 million megatons of TNT – relative to nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were much smaller and 21 kilotons respectively.

Although the numbers make it sound incredibly large, the scientist classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock that eliminated the dinosaurs on our planet carried enormous energy and during the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see eruptions carrying power matching greater levels.

"I consider this eruption we evaluated happened during periods was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the standard for future comparison to evaluate what to expect during solar maximum occurs," he says.

"The learnings gained will assist in work out protective measures to be adopted safeguarding satellites in near space. Additionally, they'll aid us gain a better understanding of near-Earth space," he concludes.