Solar flares, sunspots, coronal mass ejections – these are but a few of the energetic events taking place in the outer atmosphere of the Sun. It has become increasingly common to refer to the solar cycle as "solar weather", and to call energetic solar activity "solar storms". It must be kept clearly in mind, however, that the underlying astronomy involved in powering solar activity is vastly different from the forces involved in shaping the weather on Earth. The solar cycle and its related activity can be attributed to the Sun’s complex magnetic field. Such solar activity can have both benign and adverse effects on the Earth.

Figure 1
Solar image taken by SOHO spacecraft.