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

It's the first time the spacecraft – that entered into space recently – can watch the Sun when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

As per scientific data, this occurs approximately every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent could be the planet's poles swapping positions.

It's a time marked by intense activity. It involves our star transition from calm to stormy and features a significant rise in the number of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – enormous clouds of fire that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer.

Made up of charged particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh of billions of tons and can attain a speed exceeding 2,000 miles per second. It can head out in any direction, even toward the Earth. At maximum velocity, it would take a CME 15 hours to cover the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or low-activity times, the Sun launches two to three CMEs a day," says an astrophysics expert. "Next year, it's anticipated there will be over ten each day."

Studying coronal mass ejections ranks among the most important 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 solar system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the Sun threaten systems on our planet and in orbit.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

CMEs seldom present immediate danger to people, yet they impact life on Earth through generating magnetic disturbances affecting the weather in near space, where nearly thousands of spacecraft, including many from India, orbit.

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

"But they can also make all the electronics aboard spacecraft fail, disable electrical networks and disrupt meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Past Solar Events

• The most powerful solar event ever recorded was the Carrington Event which knocked out communication systems across the globe
• During 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network was knocked out, leaving six million people without power for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disrupted flight operations, leading to disruption in Sweden and various European air hubs
• In February 2022, a CME had led to dozens of spacecraft failing

If we are able to see events in the solar atmosphere and spot a solar storm or solar eruption in real time, record its temperature at origin and watch its trajectory, this serves as a forewarning to switch off power grids and satellites redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

While other solar missions observing our star, Aditya-L1 has an advantage compared to rivals regarding watching the corona.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph is the exact size that lets it nearly mimic lunar coverage, fully covering the Sun's photosphere permitting an uninterrupted view of nearly the entire of the corona 24 hours a day, throughout the year, even during solar events," notes the expert.

Essentially, this instrument functions as an artificial Moon, blocking the solar glare allowing scientists constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – a feat the real Moon does only during specific moments.

Moreover, it's unique that can study solar events in visible light, enabling it to measure eruption heat and thermal output – crucial data indicating the intensity of an eruption if it headed our direction.

Readiness for Peak Period

To prepare for next year's peak solar activity period, researchers collaborated analyzing information obtained from a major CMEs recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

It originated in September 2024 during early hours. Its mass totaled billions of tons – the iceberg that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

Initially, its temperature was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content was equivalent to millions of tons of TNT – in comparison the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were much smaller and 21 kilotons each.

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

The asteroid which wiped out the dinosaurs on Earth was 100 million megatons and when solar peak occurs, there may be CMEs carrying power equal to even more than that.

"I consider this eruption we analyzed to have occurred during periods of typical solar activity. This establishes the standard that we'll be using to evaluate what to expect when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he says.

"The learnings from this will help us work out the countermeasures to be adopted safeguarding satellites in near space. Additionally, they'll aid achieving a better understanding of near-Earth space," he adds.