Why 2026 Will Be an Unprecedented Year for the Indian Solar Observation Mission

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

It's the first time the observatory – that entered into space recently – will be able to watch the Sun during its maximum activity cycle.

As per scientific data, it comes roughly once every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent could be the North and South poles changing places.

This period of great turbulence. It sees the Sun changing from peaceful to violent and is marked by a huge increase in the number of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of plasma that erupt from the solar corona.

Composed of ionized particles, a CME can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and reach a speed exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out in any direction, even toward our planet. At top speed, it would take an ejection 15 hours to traverse the vast distance Earth-Sun distance.

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

Researching CMEs ranks among the most important scientific objectives of India's maiden solar mission. One, because the ejections provide an opportunity to study the Sun at the centre of our planetary system, and two, since events that take place on the Sun endanger infrastructure on Earth and in space.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

Coronal mass ejections rarely pose immediate danger to people, yet they impact our planet through generating magnetic disturbances that impact the weather in near space, where nearly thousands of spacecraft, comprising Indian satellites, orbit.

"The most beautiful manifestations of a CME are auroras, being direct evidence that solar particles from Sun journey toward our planet," the expert clarifies.

"However, they may cause electronic systems on a satellite malfunction, disable electrical networks and affect weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Events

• The strongest solar event ever recorded occurred during the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out telegraph lines across the globe
• In 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, affecting six million people without power for hours
• During late 2015, solar storms disturbed flight operations, leading to disruption in Sweden and various European airports
• Recently in 2022, a CME caused 38 commercial satellites being lost

With capability to see what happens on the Sun's corona and detect a solar storm or solar eruption as it happens, record its temperature at origin and track its path, this serves as a forewarning to shut down power grids and satellites and move them out of harm's way.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

There are other solar missions observing the Sun, India's spacecraft has an advantage compared to rivals regarding studying the solar atmosphere.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph has perfect dimensions enabling it to effectively simulate lunar coverage, fully covering the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of almost all solar atmosphere around the clock, 365 days a year, even during solar events," says the expert.

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

Moreover, this is the only mission capable of examining solar events in visible light, letting it measure a CME's temperature and heat energy – key clues that show the intensity a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

In preparation for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists collaborated analyzing information gathered from a major CMEs that Aditya-L1 has observed recently.

It originated on 13 September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – for comparison that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

Initially, its temperature was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content comparable to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – relative to the atomic bombs used in Japan were much smaller and 21 kilotons each.

Even though the numbers seem incredibly large, the expert classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock that eliminated the dinosaurs on Earth carried enormous energy and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, there may be eruptions carrying power matching greater levels.

"In my view the CME we evaluated to have occurred when the Sun of typical solar activity. This establishes the standard that we'll be using assessing what to expect when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he states.

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