India’s Aditya-L1 solar observatory has given new insights into how a strong solar storm affected Earth’s magnetic field.
A major study, published in the Astrophysical Journal in December 2025, looked at a powerful space weather event that hit Earth in October 2024. ISRO scientists and research students analysed data from Aditya-L1, India’s first solar observatory, along with information from other international space missions.
The study showed that the storm, caused by a massive eruption of solar plasma from the Sun, strongly compressed Earth’s magnetic field. This pushed the magnetic shield unusually close to the planet and briefly exposed some satellites in geostationary orbit to harsh space conditions.
These findings help scientists understand how solar storms affect Earth and its satellites, improving space weather forecasting and satellite protection.