The Reason 2026 Will Be an Unprecedented Year for the Indian Solar Observation Mission

Regarding India's first solar observatory, 2026 will be like no other.

This marks the initial occasion the observatory – that entered into space recently – will be able to observe our star when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

As per scientific data, this occurs roughly every 11 years as the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent could be the North and South poles changing places.

It's a time of great turbulence. It involves our star transition from calm to stormy and features a huge increase in the number of solar storms and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – massive bubbles of plasma that blow out of the Sun's outermost layer.

Composed of ionized particles, a coronal mass ejection can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and can attain a speed exceeding 2,000 miles per second. It can travel in any direction, even toward our planet. At top speed, the journey takes an ejection 15 hours to traverse the vast distance between Earth and the Sun.

"During typical or quiet periods, the Sun launches two to three CMEs a day," explains an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, we expect them to be 10 or more each day."

Researching coronal mass ejections is one of the most important scientific objectives for the Indian maiden solar mission. One, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to study the star at the centre of our planetary system, and two, because activities occurring on the solar surface endanger systems on our planet and in space.

Impacts on Our Planet and Orbital Systems

Coronal mass ejections seldom present a direct threat to human life, but they do affect our planet through generating magnetic disturbances that impact conditions in near space, where about 11,000 satellites, comprising many from India, orbit.

"The most spectacular displays of a CME are auroras, being direct evidence that solar particles from Sun are travelling toward our planet," the scientist explains.

"However, they may cause electronic systems aboard spacecraft fail, knock down electrical networks and affect weather and communication satellites."

Past Solar Events

• The most powerful solar event ever recorded was the Carrington Event that disabled communication systems across the globe
• During 1989, a part of Canadian electrical network was knocked out, affecting millions in darkness for nine hours
• During late 2015, solar activity disturbed air traffic control, causing chaos in Sweden and some other European air hubs
• In February 2022, a CME caused dozens of spacecraft being lost

If we are able to see events on the Sun's corona and detect a solar storm or solar eruption as it happens, record its temperature at origin and watch its trajectory, it can work as advanced warning to shut down power grids and satellites redirecting them out of harm's way.

The Mission's Special Capability

There are other space observatories watching the Sun, India's spacecraft has an advantage over others when it comes to studying the solar atmosphere.

"The instrument is the exact size that lets it nearly mimic lunar coverage, completely blocking the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of nearly the entire of the corona around the clock, 365 days a year, including during solar events," notes the researcher.

Essentially, this instrument acts like an artificial Moon, obscuring the Sun's bright surface allowing scientists constantly study the dim solar atmosphere – a feat natural eclipses does only during specific moments.

Moreover, it's unique capable of examining eruptions using optical wavelengths, letting it determine a CME's temperature and thermal output – crucial data indicating how strong a CME would be if it headed our direction.

Preparation for Maximum Activity

In preparation for the upcoming solar maximum, researchers collaborated to study information gathered from a major solar eruption recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

It originated on 13 September 2024 at 00:30 GMT. The eruption's weight totaled billions of tons – the iceberg that sank Titanic weighed much less.

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

Although these figures seem massive, the expert classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The asteroid that eliminated the dinosaurs on our planet was 100 million megatons and when solar peak occurs, we could see CMEs with energy content matching greater levels.

"In my view the CME we analyzed to have occurred during periods was in the normal activity phase. This establishes the benchmark for future comparison to evaluate what to expect during solar maximum arrives," he says.

"The learnings from this will assist in work out protective measures to implement to protect spacecraft in near space. They will also help achieving a better understanding of near-Earth space," he concludes.