How the solar cycle works

This diagram reveals the inner workings of the Sun during the solar cycle. The magnetic field evolves from being aligned north-south at solar minimum (a) to aligning east-west ( b), and eventually being multipolar at solar maximum (c). The photosphere is the visible layer of the Sun that we are familiar with, where sunspots are formed; the tachocline is a region inside the Sun where the magnetic field gets distorted and moved.