041.2 Winding the Field Lines

Sunspots come in pairs.

For the field shown here, the leading holes are magnetic north poles in the northern hemisphere of the Sun while they are magnetic south poles in the southern hemisphere.

Starting with the opposite field would reverse the situation.

The situation does reverse every sunspot cycle, which indicates that the starting field reverses each time.

The winding action is most intense away from the equator and away from the poles, which is why sun spots form only in the middle lattitudes of the Sun. During a sunspot cycle, they start forming farther from the equator and gradually move toward the equator.

Notice that one result of winding the field lines is to bring oppositely directed field lines closer and closer together. That action sets the stage for another phenomenon, the solar flare.