sciencealert | 1 JUN 2019: Every 11 years, the Sun cycles through from riotous flare and sunspot activity to a quieter period, before ramping up again. It's almost as regular as clockwork, and for years astronomers have been wondering what causes it. Now, they've proposed a new solution.
Even though the Solar System's planets are much smaller than the Sun, the gravity of some of them is able to influence our star's magnetic field. This, the researchers assert, is what controls the solar cycle.
Venus, Earth, and Jupiter assert a small gravitational tug on the Sun as they orbit it. The result is comparable to the way the Moon's gravity influences Earth's tides, producing a regularly timed ebb and flow.
At this point in the cycle, not much weather out there...
