Solar activity follows an 11-year cycle – here’s how it controls eruptions and solar flares
- Written by Yeimy J. Rivera, Researcher in Astrophysics, Smithsonian Institution
The Sun's surface is dynamic, affected by convection in its interior. NASA/Solar Dynamics ObservatoryWhen you look up at the sky on a sunny day, the Sun might seem like a bright spot, unchanging in the sky. But the Sun is a complex, dynamic celestial body, wrapped in electrical currents and magnetic fields that constantly move and tangle as it...

