Magnetism is the key to understanding the Sun.

http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/the_key.shtml




Magnetism, or magnetic field, is produced on the Sun by the flow of electrically charged ions and electrons. Sunspots are places where very intense magnetic lines of force break through the Sun's surface. The sunspot cycle results from the recycling of magnetic fields by the flow of material in the interior. The prominences seen floating above the surface of the Sun are supported, and threaded through, with magnetic fields. The streamers and loops seen in the corona are shaped by magnetic fields. Magnetic fields are at the root of virtually all of the features we see on and above the Sun. Without magnetic fields the Sun would be a rather boring star.

Well, you know the rest.

http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=9737

The Sun's behavior is shaped by the presence of magnetic fields that thread through the solar atmosphere. The magnetic fields may take on different shapes from uniform arches to coherent bundles of field lines known as "flux ropes." Understanding the exact structure of magnetic fields is a crucial part of the effort to determine how the fields evolve and the role they play in solar eruptions. In particular, flux ropes are thought to play a vital role in the CME process, having been frequently detected in interplanetary space as CMEs reach the vicinity of Earth.

"Magnetic flux ropes have been observed in interplanetary space for many years, and they are widely invoked in theoretical descriptions of how CMEs are produced," said Lucie Green, lead researcher. "We now need observations to confirm or reject the existence of flux ropes in the solar atmosphere before an eruption takes place to see whether our theories are correct."

The formation of the flux rope requires that significant energy is stored in the solar atmosphere. The rope is expected to remain stable while the solar magnetic field in the vicinity holds it down.

But at some point the structure becomes unstable and erupts to produce a CME. Using data from the Hinode spacecraft, Green showed that a flux rope formed in the solar atmosphere over the 2.5 days that preceded the December 2007 event. Evidence for the flux rope takes the form of S-shaped structures clearly seen by one of the Hinode instruments, the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope.

they are putting out.

and every day, the paper boy brings more.

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Sing it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLkGSV9WDMA

Is that true?