Magnetic field lines emerging through the surface of the Sun

Magnetic fields are produced by a dynamo mechanism inside stars and emerge through the surface to the outer atmosphere, where they generate stellar magnetic storms, energetic radiation fluxes, and govern the strength of escaping plasma winds. Studying these magnetic fields can shed light on the stellar midlife crisis – a sudden switch to a low activity phase and the existence of inactive phases such as the Maunder Minimum when hardly any sunspots are observed on the Sun.