🔗 Share this article The Reason 2026 Is Set to Be an Unprecedented Year for the Indian Sun Mission A coronal mass ejection is much bigger than our planet Regarding India's first solar observatory, the year 2026 is expected to be truly unique. This marks the initial occasion the observatory – which was placed in orbit last year – can watch the Sun during the peak of its solar cycle. As per research, this occurs approximately every 11 years as the Sun's magnetic poles flip – a similar Earth scenario would be the planet's poles swapping positions. It's a time marked by intense activity. It sees the Sun transition from peaceful to violent and features a huge increase in the number of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of fire that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer. Composed of charged particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh of billions of tons and reach a speed exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can travel in any direction, including towards our planet. At maximum velocity, it would take an ejection about half a day to traverse the 150 million km between Earth and the Sun. "In the normal or quiet periods, the Sun launches two to three CMEs a day," explains a leading scientist. "In 2026, it's anticipated there will be 10 or more each day." Researching coronal mass ejections ranks among the key scientific objectives for the Indian maiden solar mission. One, because the ejections offer a chance to learn about the Sun in the center of our solar system, and secondly, since events occurring on the solar surface threaten systems on our planet and in orbit. The aurora borealis lit up the darkness across America in November Effects on Earth and Space Infrastructure Coronal mass ejections rarely pose a direct threat to people, but they do affect our planet by causing geomagnetic storms that impact the weather in Earth's vicinity, where nearly 11,000 satellites, comprising Indian satellites, orbit. "The most spectacular displays from solar eruptions are auroras, being direct evidence that solar particles from our star are travelling to Earth," the scientist explains. "However, they may make all the electronics aboard spacecraft malfunction, disable electrical networks and disrupt weather and communication satellites." Historical Solar Incidents The most powerful solar storm ever recorded occurred during the Carrington Event that disabled communication systems worldwide In 1989, sections of Canadian electrical network failed, leaving millions without power for nine hours In November 2015, solar storms disturbed air traffic control, causing disruption in Sweden and various European airports In February 2022, an ejection caused dozens of spacecraft being lost With capability to see events on the Sun's corona and spot a solar storm or a coronal mass ejection in real time, measure its heat at origin and track its path, this serves as a forewarning to switch off power grids and satellites redirecting them to safety. The solar atmosphere is only visible during a total solar eclipse from our perspective Aditya-L1's Special Capability There are other solar missions observing our star, India's spacecraft has an advantage over others when it comes to watching the corona. "The instrument has perfect dimensions enabling it to nearly mimic lunar coverage, fully covering the Sun's photosphere and allowing it an uninterrupted view of almost all solar atmosphere around the clock, 365 days a year, including during eclipses and occultations," notes the expert. In other words, this instrument acts like an artificial Moon, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing researchers constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – a feat natural eclipses provide only during eclipses. Moreover, it's unique capable of examining eruptions in visible light, letting it measure a CME's temperature and thermal output – crucial data indicating the intensity a CME would be if it headed toward Earth. Preparation for Maximum Activity To prepare for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists worked together analyzing the data obtained from one of the largest CMEs that Aditya-L1 has recorded until now. It originated on 13 September 2024 during early hours. Its mass was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes. At origin, the heat reached extreme levels and the energy content was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of explosives – relative to the atomic bombs used in Japan were much smaller in scale each. Although the numbers seem incredibly large, the expert classifies it as a moderate event. The asteroid which wiped out prehistoric life on our planet carried enormous energy and during the Sun's maximum activity cycle, there may be eruptions with energy content matching even more than that. "In my view this eruption we evaluated happened during periods was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the benchmark that we'll be using assessing what is in store during solar maximum occurs," he states. "The insights gained will assist in work out protective measures to be adopted safeguarding satellites in orbit. They will also help us gain a better understanding of near-Earth space," he concludes.