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

Regarding India's first solar observatory, 2026 is expected to be truly unique.

It's the first time the observatory – that entered in orbit recently – 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 – a similar Earth scenario would be the planet's poles swapping positions.

This period of great turbulence. It involves our star changing from peaceful to violent and features a huge increase in the frequency of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – enormous clouds of plasma that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of ionized particles, a CME can weigh of billions of tons and reach a speed exceeding 2,000 miles per second. It can head out in any direction, including towards our planet. At maximum velocity, the journey takes an ejection about half a day to cover the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"During typical or quiet periods, our star launches a few solar eruptions a day," says an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be over ten each day."

Researching CMEs ranks among the key scientific objectives for the Indian first solar observatory. Firstly, because the ejections offer a chance to study the star in the center of our planetary system, and two, since events that take place on the solar surface threaten infrastructure on Earth and in space.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

Coronal mass ejections rarely pose immediate danger to human life, but they do affect our planet through generating geomagnetic storms that impact the weather in near space, where nearly 11,000 satellites, comprising many from India, orbit.

"The most spectacular manifestations from solar eruptions are auroras, which are a clear example that solar particles from Sun are travelling to Earth," the scientist clarifies.

"However, they may cause electronic systems on a satellite malfunction, knock down electrical networks and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Events

• The most powerful solar event ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out telegraph lines across the globe
• During 1989, sections of Canadian electrical network was knocked out, leaving six million people in darkness for hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disrupted air traffic control, leading to disruption in Sweden and various European air hubs
• Recently in 2022, a CME had led to 38 commercial satellites being lost

If we are able to observe events in the solar atmosphere and detect a solar storm or solar eruption as it happens, record its temperature at the source and track its path, it can work as a forewarning to switch off power grids and satellites and move them out of harm's way.

The Mission's Special Capability

There are other space observatories watching the Sun, Aditya-L1 holds an edge compared to rivals regarding watching the corona.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph has perfect dimensions that lets it nearly mimic lunar coverage, fully covering the Sun's photosphere permitting an uninterrupted view of almost all solar atmosphere 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including during solar events," says the expert.

Essentially, the coronagraph acts like a synthetic eclipse, obscuring the solar glare to let researchers constantly study its faint outer corona – something natural eclipses provide only during specific moments.

Additionally, it's unique capable of examining eruptions using optical wavelengths, letting it determine a CME's temperature and heat energy – crucial data that show the intensity of an eruption if it headed our direction.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

In preparation for the upcoming peak solar activity period, researchers collaborated to study the data gathered from one of the largest solar eruption that Aditya-L1 has observed recently.

It originated in September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. Its mass 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 much smaller and 21 kilotons respectively.

Although these figures make it sound massive, the scientist describes it as a moderate event.

The space rock which wiped out the dinosaurs on our planet was 100 million megatons and when solar peak occurs, there may be CMEs with energy content equal to greater levels.

"I consider the CME we analyzed happened when the Sun of typical solar activity. Now this sets the standard that we'll be using assessing what to expect during solar maximum occurs," he says.

"The insights from this will help us work out the countermeasures to implement to protect spacecraft in orbit. They will also help achieving deeper knowledge of our space environment," he adds.