Researchers Decode Links Between Solar Surface Patterns and Sunspot Cycles

Scientists have uncovered fresh insights into the Sun’s 11-year activity cycle by analyzing more than a century of solar observations from the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory. The study reveals that large-scale convection patterns on the Sun’s surface closely track changes in solar magnetic activity, offering a new window into the processes that drive the solar cycle. Researchers examined over 34,000 archival images captured in the Calcium-II K spectral line, which highlights magnetic features in t