The Reason 2026 Is Set to Be a Year Like No Other 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 into space last year – will be able to watch our star when it reaches its maximum activity cycle.

As per scientific data, this occurs roughly every 11 years when the Sun's magnetic poles flip – the Earth equivalent would be the North and South poles swapping positions.

This period of great turbulence. It sees the Sun changing 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 from the solar corona.

Composed of charged particles, a CME can weigh up to a trillion kilograms and reach a speed exceeding 2,000 miles each second. It can head out in any direction, including towards the Earth. At top speed, it would take a CME 15 hours to traverse the vast distance Earth-Sun distance.

"During typical or low-activity times, the Sun launches two to three CMEs a day," says an astrophysics expert. "In 2026, we expect them to be 10 or more daily."

Studying CMEs is one of the key research goals for the Indian maiden solar mission. One, as these eruptions provide an opportunity to study the star at the centre of our solar system, and secondly, because activities that take place on the Sun threaten infrastructure on our planet and in space.

Impacts on Our Planet and Space Infrastructure

CMEs seldom present immediate danger to people, yet they impact life on Earth through generating geomagnetic storms affecting the weather in near space, where nearly 11,000 satellites, including many from India, are stationed.

"The most beautiful displays of a CME include northern lights, which are direct evidence that solar particles from our star journey toward our planet," the scientist explains.

"But they can also make all the electronics aboard spacecraft fail, knock down electrical networks and disrupt weather and communication satellites."

Past Solar Incidents

• The strongest solar event ever recorded was the 1859 solar superstorm which knocked out telegraph lines worldwide
• During 1989, sections of Quebec's power grid failed, leaving six million people without power for hours
• In November 2015, solar activity disturbed flight operations, causing chaos in Sweden and various European air hubs
• In February 2022, an ejection had led to 38 commercial satellites being lost

If we are able to see what happens on the Sun's corona and spot a solar storm or solar eruption as it happens, measure its heat at the source and track its path, this serves as advanced warning to shut down power grids and satellites redirecting them out of harm's way.

The Mission's Unique Advantage

While other space observatories watching the Sun, India's spacecraft has an advantage over others regarding watching the corona.

"The instrument is the exact size enabling it to nearly mimic lunar coverage, fully covering the Sun's photosphere permitting continuous observation of nearly the entire of the corona around the clock, throughout the year, even during eclipses and occultations," says the researcher.

Essentially, this instrument functions as a synthetic eclipse, obscuring the solar glare to let researchers continuously observe the dim solar atmosphere – a feat natural eclipses does only during eclipses.

Additionally, this is the only mission that can study eruptions in visible light, enabling it to measure a CME's temperature and heat energy – key clues that show how strong a CME would be if it headed our direction.

Preparation for Peak Period

To prepare for the upcoming peak solar activity period, scientists worked together to study the data obtained from a major CMEs recorded by the mission has recorded until now.

This event began on 13 September 2024 during early hours. The eruption's weight was 270 million tonnes – for comparison that struck the ship was 1.5 million tonnes.

Initially, its temperature was 1.8 million degrees Celsius and the energy content comparable to millions of tons of TNT – relative to nuclear weapons used in Japan were 15 kilotons and 21 kilotons each.

Even though these figures make it sound massive, the expert classifies it as a "medium-sized" one.

The space rock which wiped out the dinosaurs on our planet was 100 million megatons and during the Sun's maximum activity cycle, we could see eruptions with energy content equal to greater levels.

"I consider the CME we analyzed to have occurred during periods was in the normal activity phase. Now this sets the benchmark for future comparison assessing what to expect when the maximum activity cycle arrives," he says.

"The insights from this will help us work out the countermeasures to implement safeguarding spacecraft in near space. Additionally, they'll aid us gain deeper knowledge of our space environment," he concludes.