Multiple choice

The 22 year solar cycle refers to

  1. the length of time taken by the sun to rotate

  2. sunspots

  3. variation in the total number of detected neutrinos

  4. the length of a cycle for the time taken by proton-proton cycle
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The sunspot cycle happens because of pole flip — North becomes South and South becomes North—approximately every 11 years. Some 11 years later, the poles reverse again back to where they started, making the full solar cycle actually a 22-year phenomenon. The Sun behaves similarly over the course of each 11-year cycle no matter which pole is on top.

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