Most of the time the Sun is quiet, shining in space beaming out
light and heat. But every eleven years it gets cranky – covered
in dark spots and fiery eruptions. This is a time called solar
maximum, or solar max for short. The Sun, like all stars, is a
big ball of plasma – mostly hydrogen and helium. Because the Sun
is so big – 100 million times bigger than Earth – it has a lot
of gravity. The gravity squeezes the plasma so hard that it
gives off heat and light. Scientists call this nuclear fusion.
Nuclear fusion also makes magnetism, making the Sun a giant
magnet in space. As the Sun spins around in space, the magnetism
inside the Sun becomes more and more twisted. After 11 years of
twisting the magnetism begins to snap apart – like a rubber band
that’s been twisted too much. When the magnetism snaps, sunspots
(dark patches) appear on the surface of the Sun. Prominences and
flares are also common, which look like loops and tongues of
fires erupting from the Sun. Flares cause pieces of the Sun –
called radia