Why the Year 2026 Is Set to Be an Unprecedented Year for the Indian Solar Observation Mission

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

It's the first time the spacecraft – that entered into space recently – will be able to watch our star during the peak of its solar cycle.

According to scientific data, it comes approximately once every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent would be the North and South poles changing places.

It's a time marked by intense activity. It involves the Sun transition from peaceful to violent and features a huge increase in the frequency of solar storms and massive solar flares – massive bubbles of plasma that erupt from the solar corona.

Composed of charged 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 head out in any direction, including towards our planet. At top speed, it would take an ejection about half a day to cover the 150 million km between Earth and the Sun.

"In the normal or low-activity times, our star emits two to three CMEs a day," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be over ten each day."

Researching CMEs is one of the key scientific objectives of India's first solar observatory. Firstly, as these eruptions offer a chance to learn about the Sun at the centre of our planetary system, and secondly, since events occurring on the Sun endanger infrastructure on our planet and in space.

Effects on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

CMEs seldom present immediate danger to people, yet they impact our planet through generating geomagnetic storms affecting conditions in Earth's vicinity, where about thousands of spacecraft, comprising Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most spectacular manifestations of a CME are auroras, which are direct evidence that charged particles from Sun journey to Earth," the expert explains.

"However, they may make all the electronics on a satellite malfunction, knock down power grids and affect weather and communication satellites."

Past Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar storm ever recorded was the Carrington Event that disabled telegraph lines worldwide
• In 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, affecting six million people in darkness for hours
• In November 2015, solar activity disrupted flight operations, leading to disruption in Sweden and various European air hubs
• Recently in 2022, an ejection had led to dozens of spacecraft being lost

If we are able to observe events in the solar atmosphere and detect a solar storm or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, measure its heat at the source and track its path, this serves as advanced warning to shut down power grids and spacecraft redirecting them to safety.

Aditya-L1's Special Capability

There are other space observatories observing our star, India's spacecraft holds an edge compared to rivals when it comes to studying the solar atmosphere.

"The instrument is the exact size that lets it nearly mimic the Moon, fully covering the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of nearly the entire of the corona 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, even during eclipses and occultations," says the expert.

Essentially, the coronagraph acts like an artificial Moon, obscuring the solar glare to let researchers continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – a feat natural eclipses provide only during specific moments.

Moreover, it's unique that can study eruptions in visible light, letting it measure a CME's temperature and heat energy – key clues indicating how strong a CME would be if it headed toward Earth.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

To prepare for next year's solar maximum, scientists worked together analyzing information obtained from a major CMEs that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now.

This event began on 13 September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight totaled billions of tons – for comparison that sank Titanic weighed much less.

At origin, its temperature was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – relative to the atomic bombs used in Japan were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons respectively.

Even though these figures make it sound massive, the expert describes it as a moderate event.

The space rock which wiped out prehistoric life on Earth was 100 million megatons and during solar peak occurs, there may be CMEs with energy content matching even more than that.

"In my view this eruption we analyzed to have occurred during periods of typical solar activity. This establishes the benchmark that we'll be using to evaluate what is in store when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he states.

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