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For India's first solar observatory, the year 2026 is expected to be truly unique.

It's the first time the observatory – which was placed in orbit last year – will be able to watch our star during the peak of its solar cycle.

According to research, it comes approximately every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent would be the planet's poles swapping positions.

This period of great turbulence. It involves our star changing from calm to stormy and is marked by a significant rise in the number of solar eruptions and massive solar flares – massive bubbles of fire that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of ionized particles, a coronal mass ejection may have a mass of billions of tons and can attain a speed exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can travel toward various directions, including towards the Earth. At maximum velocity, it would take a CME about half a day to traverse the 150 million km between Earth and the Sun.

"During typical or quiet periods, the Sun emits a few solar eruptions a day," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, it's anticipated them to be over ten each day."

Researching coronal mass ejections ranks among the key scientific objectives of India's first solar observatory. One, because the ejections provide an opportunity to learn about the Sun at the centre of our planetary system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the Sun threaten systems on Earth and in space.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

Coronal mass ejections rarely pose a direct threat to human life, but they do affect life on Earth by causing magnetic disturbances that impact conditions in near space, where nearly thousands of spacecraft, comprising Indian satellites, orbit.

"The most beautiful displays of a CME are auroras, being a clear example that charged particles from Sun journey toward our planet," the scientist explains.

"However, they may make all the electronics on a satellite malfunction, knock down power grids and affect meteorological and telecom spacecraft."

Past Solar Events

• The strongest solar storm ever recorded occurred during the Carrington Event which knocked out telegraph lines worldwide
• During 1989, a part of Quebec's power grid was knocked out, affecting millions in darkness for hours
• During late 2015, solar activity disturbed flight operations, leading to disruption in Sweden and various European airports
• Recently in 2022, an ejection had led to 38 commercial satellites failing

If we are able to observe events on the Sun's corona and detect a solar storm or a coronal mass ejection in real time, record its temperature at origin and watch its path, it can work as a forewarning to switch off power grids and satellites redirecting them to safety.

The Mission's Unique Advantage

While other space observatories observing the Sun, India's spacecraft holds an edge compared to rivals regarding studying the solar atmosphere.

"The instrument is the exact size enabling it to effectively simulate the Moon, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of almost all of the corona around the clock, 365 days a year, including during eclipses and occultations," says the researcher.

In other words, the coronagraph acts like an artificial Moon, blocking the Sun's bright surface to let researchers constantly study its faint outer corona – something the real Moon provide only during specific moments.

Moreover, it's unique capable of examining eruptions using optical wavelengths, enabling it to determine a CME's temperature and thermal output – key clues indicating the intensity a CME would be when traveling toward Earth.

Readiness for Maximum Activity

To prepare for next year's peak solar activity period, scientists collaborated analyzing information gathered from one of the largest solar eruption recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

It originated on 13 September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

Initially, the heat was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content was equivalent to millions of tons of TNT – in comparison the atomic bombs used in Japan were 15 kilotons in scale each.

Although the numbers seem massive, the scientist classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The asteroid that eliminated the dinosaurs on Earth carried enormous energy and when solar peak occurs, we could see eruptions carrying power equal to greater levels.

"In my view this eruption we analyzed to have occurred when the Sun was in the normal activity phase. This establishes the benchmark for future comparison assessing what to expect when the maximum activity cycle occurs," he states.

"The learnings from this will help us work out protective measures to implement safeguarding satellites in orbit. They will also help us gain deeper knowledge of our space environment," he adds.