A week ago, a beautiful solar storm on the Sun occurred, creating aurorae over many parts of the earth on May 10. These solar storms are more frequent as the Sun nears the peak of its solar cycle, an 11-year period during which the Sun’s magnetic field flips direction.
As the Sun approaches the peak of a solar cycle, its surface develops more and more sunspots. From the earth, sunspots look like small patches darker than their surroundings. These patches have more intense magnetic fields, making them cooler than other areas. The positions at which sunspots appear on the Sun differ depending on which phase of the solar cycle the star is in. This principle is named after the German astronomer Gustav Spörer.
The process that produces the Sun’s magnetic field is called the solar dynamo. Scientists do not fully understand how it works but believe it converts the kinetic energy from the Sun’s interiors’ differential rotation and movement of heat into electromagnetic energy. In a period of around seven decades,