The Reason 2026 Will Be a Year Like No Other for India's Solar Observation Mission

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 into space recently – can watch our star when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

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

This period of great turbulence. It involves the Sun changing from calm to stormy and is marked by a huge increase in the frequency of solar storms and massive solar flares – enormous clouds of plasma that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of ionized particles, a CME may have a mass up to a trillion kilograms and reach a speed exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can travel in any direction, including towards the Earth. At top speed, the journey takes a CME about half a day to traverse the 150 million km between Earth and the Sun.

"During typical or quiet periods, our star launches two to three CMEs daily," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, we expect there will be 10 or more each day."

Studying CMEs ranks among the key scientific objectives of India's first solar observatory. Firstly, because the ejections offer a chance to study the Sun at the centre of our planetary system, and secondly, because activities occurring on the solar surface endanger systems on Earth and in orbit.

Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

CMEs seldom present immediate danger to people, yet they impact our planet by causing geomagnetic storms affecting the weather in Earth's vicinity, where nearly 11,000 satellites, comprising Indian satellites, are stationed.

"The most spectacular manifestations of a CME include northern lights, being direct evidence that solar particles from our star are travelling to Earth," the scientist clarifies.

"But they can also make all the electronics on a satellite fail, knock down electrical networks and affect weather and communication satellites."

Historical Solar Incidents

• The most powerful solar event in history occurred during the Carrington Event that disabled communication systems across the globe
• In 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network failed, affecting millions in darkness for nine hours
• In November 2015, solar storms disrupted air traffic control, causing disruption in Sweden and various European air hubs
• In February 2022, an ejection caused dozens of spacecraft failing

If we are able to observe what happens in the solar atmosphere and spot solar activity or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, record its temperature at the source and track its path, it can work as advanced warning to shut down electrical systems and satellites redirecting them to safety.

The Mission's Special Capability

While other space observatories observing the Sun, Aditya-L1 has an advantage compared to rivals when it comes to watching the corona.

"Aditya-L1's coronagraph is the exact size enabling it to nearly mimic the Moon, fully covering the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of nearly the entire of the corona 24 hours a day, throughout the year, even during eclipses and occultations," notes the researcher.

Essentially, the coronagraph acts like a synthetic eclipse, obscuring the solar glare allowing scientists continuously observe its faint outer corona – a feat natural eclipses does only during specific moments.

Moreover, it's unique that can study solar events in visible light, enabling it to measure a CME's temperature and heat energy – key clues that show the intensity a CME would be if it headed our direction.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

In preparation for next year's solar maximum, scientists collaborated to study information obtained from one of the largest solar eruption recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

It originated in September 2024 during early hours. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

At origin, its temperature was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content was equivalent to millions of tons of explosives – in comparison the atomic bombs used in Japan were 15 kilotons in scale respectively.

Although the numbers make it sound incredibly large, the expert describes it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock that eliminated prehistoric life on Earth carried enormous energy and during solar peak occurs, there may be CMEs with energy content equal to even more than that.

"In my view the CME we analyzed to have occurred during periods of typical solar activity. Now this sets the benchmark for future comparison to evaluate what to expect when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he says.

"The learnings from this will assist in work out protective measures to implement safeguarding spacecraft in near space. Additionally, they'll aid us gain a better understanding of our space environment," he concludes.