An Indian research team has announced a significant discovery linked to the Sun that could help protect satellites and services that depend on them, including GPS. The work focuses on coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, massive bursts of solar material and magnetic fields that can race through space and disturb the environment around Earth.
The study highlights that when these CMEs travel at very high speeds, they can generate shock waves in space. The phenomenon has been compared to what happens when a supersonic aircraft crosses the sound barrier and produces a sonic boom. In the solar case, the shock forms ahead of the fast moving ejection as it pushes through the surrounding solar wind.
Such solar driven shocks are important because they can intensify space weather events. When the energy from a CME and its shock reaches Earth, it can trigger geomagnetic disturbances that affect satellite electronics, increase atmospheric drag on spacecraft in low Earth orbit, and interfere with radio communications and navigation signals.
According to the report, the discovery is expected to improve understanding of how these shocks develop and propagate. Better knowledge of shock behaviour can support more accurate forecasting of when and how strongly a solar event might affect Earth, giving satellite operators and infrastructure managers more time to take protective measures.
Why this matters for everyday services
Satellites enable a wide range of services used daily in India and worldwide, from GPS based navigation and precise timing for telecom networks to weather monitoring and broadcasting. Space weather disruptions can lead to signal errors, communication dropouts, and increased risks for spacecraft systems.
By identifying and characterising shock waves produced by fast CMEs, scientists can refine warning models that track solar eruptions from the Sun to near Earth space. This can aid in planning operational responses such as switching satellites into safe modes, adjusting orbital operations, and preparing for potential signal interference.
What the researchers reported
The India Today report described the finding as a major solar discovery by an Indian team, centred on shock waves generated by fast moving CMEs. The sonic boom comparison was used to explain how a rapid solar eruption can create a shock front as it moves through space.
The research adds to ongoing efforts to improve space weather monitoring and forecasting, an area of growing importance as more satellites are launched and more critical services rely on stable space based systems.