🔗 Share this article The Reason 2026 Will Be a Year Like No Other for the Indian Solar Observation Mission A massive solar eruption can be much bigger than our planet Regarding India's first solar observatory, 2026 is expected to be like no other. It's the first time the observatory – which was placed in orbit recently – will be able to watch our star when it reaches the peak of its solar cycle. As per research, it comes approximately once every 11 years as the Sun's polarity reverses – the Earth equivalent would be the planet's poles swapping positions. It's a time marked by intense activity. It involves our star transition from calm to stormy and features a significant rise in the frequency of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – enormous clouds of fire that erupt of the Sun's outermost layer. Made up of charged particles, a CME may have a mass up to a trillion kilograms and can attain a speed exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out in any direction, even toward our planet. At top speed, it would take a CME about half a day to cover the 150 million km Earth-Sun distance. "During typical or low-activity times, our star emits a few solar eruptions daily," explains an astrophysics expert. "Next year, we expect there will be 10 or more daily." Researching coronal mass ejections ranks among the most important scientific objectives of India's maiden solar mission. One, because the ejections provide an opportunity to learn about the star at the centre of our planetary system, and secondly, because activities occurring on the solar surface endanger infrastructure on Earth and in space. The aurora borealis lit up the darkness over the US in November Effects on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure CMEs seldom present a direct threat to people, yet they impact life on Earth by causing geomagnetic storms that impact conditions in near space, where nearly 11,000 satellites, comprising many from India, are stationed. "The most spectacular manifestations from solar eruptions are auroras, being direct evidence that charged particles from our star journey to Earth," the scientist clarifies. "However, they may cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft fail, knock down power grids and affect weather and communication satellites." Historical Solar Incidents The strongest solar event ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out telegraph lines across the globe In 1989, a part of Quebec's power grid failed, leaving millions without power for nine hours During late 2015, solar storms disrupted air traffic control, leading to chaos in Sweden and various European airports Recently in 2022, an ejection had led to 38 commercial satellites being lost With capability to see events in the solar atmosphere and spot solar activity or a coronal mass ejection as it happens, record its temperature at origin and watch its path, it can work as advanced warning to switch off power grids and satellites redirecting them out of harm's way. The Sun's corona can be seen when the Moon blocks the Sun from Earth The Mission's Special Capability There are other space observatories observing the Sun, India's spacecraft has an advantage over others when it comes to watching the corona. "The instrument has perfect dimensions that lets it effectively simulate the Moon, fully covering the Sun's photosphere and allowing it continuous observation of nearly the entire of the corona around the clock, 365 days a year, even during eclipses and occultations," notes the researcher. Essentially, this instrument acts like an artificial Moon, blocking the solar glare allowing researchers continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – a feat the real Moon provide only during eclipses. Additionally, this is the only mission capable of examining solar events using optical wavelengths, letting it measure eruption heat and heat energy – crucial data that show how strong a CME would be if it headed our direction. Preparation for Maximum Activity To prepare for the upcoming solar maximum, scientists collaborated to study information obtained from one of the largest CMEs recorded by the mission has recorded until now. It originated on 13 September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – the iceberg that struck the ship weighed much less. At origin, its temperature reached extreme levels and the energy content was equivalent to 2.2 million megatons of TNT – in comparison the atomic bombs used in Japan were much smaller and 21 kilotons respectively. Although the numbers make it sound incredibly large, the expert describes it as a moderate event. The space rock which wiped out prehistoric life on our planet was 100 million megatons and when the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see eruptions with energy content equal to even more than that. "I consider the CME we analyzed to have occurred when the Sun of typical solar activity. This establishes the standard for future comparison to evaluate what to expect during solar maximum occurs," he says. "The insights gained will help us work out protective measures to be adopted safeguarding satellites in orbit. They will also help us gain deeper knowledge of our space environment," he concludes.