by Mitch Battros ~Earth Changes Media September 20th, 2013
Electric currents inside the Sun generate a magnetic field dispersing charged particles throughout our solar system into the interstellar boundary called the "heliosphere". The heliosphere acts as a magnetic shield against charged particles from deep space mostly made of cosmic rays.
The magnetic field causes activity at the surface of the Sun called the "corona". The Sun is not a solid ball, but rather like a gaseous fluid. It manifest as various streams whirling at different speeds and diverse rotations. This results in the magnetic field lines twisting which resembles fibers or a rope. When the winding gets extreme, the magnetic field lines break apart causing solar flares at those locations on the surface. When opposing field lines collide, they twirl outward into space leaving a dark hole. These dark spots on the Sun are called sunspots.
Much like the Earth's magnetic poles, the Sun's magnetic field has two poles, like a bar magnet. During the solar cycle's apex (maximum), the polarity of the field flips. This usually coincides during the maximum period of sunspot activity which occurs approximately every 11 years. However, we are currently just on the other side of Cycle 24's peak. Some computer models predicted a strong peak for this cycle, but it has turned out to be the weakest in a century. This may be a key contributor to Earth's weakening magnetic field.
