The Babcock Model of The Sun's Magnetic Field visualizes how the sun rotates most-rapidly at the equator and slower at the poles.

This differential rotation drags, pulls and eventually tangles the field lines. As the field lines "poke" through the photosphere, sunspots are created.

Sunspots are cool magnetically active regions of the sun that can cause eruptions of plasma known as solar flares. If the solar flare is strong enough, it can be ejected into space as a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) and negatively impact earth.

Sunspot Cycles repeat themselves every 11 years. As the magnetic field becomes tangled, more sunspots appear and the sun becomes more activity until it reaches "Solar Maximum". At maximum, the sun experiences instability and causes regular space weather (solar flares, CMEs etc)

Since the 1950-60s, solar maximums have been increasingly inactive and we have been fortunate that only a few powerful CMEs have reached Earth and impacted electronic devices.

Timeline of Events:

1. Sunspots

2. Solar Prominences & Flares

3. CMEs