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Headline: Indian Astronomers Chart Course for Solar Weather Prediction, Highlight Key Challenges and Opportunities
Bengaluru – October 23, 2025 – Indian astronomers are making strides in understanding and predicting space weather, driven by the increasing reliance on space technologies and the potential impact of solar events on Earth. A new paper published in the Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy details the current state of solar and space physics in India, outlining key challenges and opportunities for the next decade.
“Understanding solar eruptions, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and their potential impact on space assets like satellites orbiting earth is of utmost urgency,” said Vaibhav Pant, scientist at the Aryabhata Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) and second author of the paper. Solar flares and CMEs can disrupt communications, navigation, and power grids.
One of the major challenges scientists face is the difficulty in understanding CMEs and their connection to the solar wind. Predicting their impact on Earth is complicated by poorly defined magnetic structures and interactions with the Sun’s magnetic field.
India’s commitment to solar research is exemplified by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) launch of Aditya-L1, India’s first space observatory focused on the sun. Positioned at Lagrange point 1 (L1), 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, Aditya-L1 provides high-resolution images and spectra of the solar atmosphere. Scientists have already begun to publish exciting results from this mission.
Researchers are now suggesting deploying more instruments at other strategic locations, such as L4 and L5. Two spacecraft, one at L1 and another at L5, will function like “two eyes” observing the same solar events, allowing researchers to accurately compute the 3D trajectories of these phenomena
In addition to space-based observation, the Indian solar community is enhancing ground-based facilities, including the proposed National Large Solar Telescope, a two-meter-class ground-based telescope.
Long-term goals include educating early-career researchers, analyzing Aditya-L1 data, and fostering collaboration. To this end, ISRO and ARIES have been conducting workshops across India. Researchers also stress the need for a national network of supercomputing facilities for computational astrophysics, essential for analyzing the vast amounts of data collected by telescopes and missions.
Dr. Pant expressed optimism that “in the next 10 to 15 years, we should be able to develop our own state-of-the-art prediction models for solar flares and the arrival times of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on earth.” He also noted that opening the Indian space sector to private companies will spur further innovation.
With growing expertise, new facilities, ongoing initiatives, and a clear long-term vision, solar physics and space weather research are poised for significant growth in India.
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