Sun storms are powered by a magnetic engine 16 Earths deep, study finds

The sun's powerful magnetic dynamo that drives sunspot activity and contributes to unleashing powerful solar flares and coronal mass ejections has been confirmed as existing 124,000 miles (200,000 kilometers) beneath the sun's visible surface — equivalent to 16 Earth widths' deep.

Some scientists had wondered whether the sun's magnetic dynamo was situated in a narrow near-surface layer, or perhaps extends throughout the entire convective layer. The most popular hypothesis, however, has been that the magnetic dynamo is generated at the boundary between the lower convective zone and the inner radiative zone.

Moreover, a better understanding of how the sun's magnetic field is generated, and how it manifests on the surface in active regions that produce sunspots, flares and ultimately coronal mass ejections, could aid in better predictions of harmful space weather. Eruptions from the sun can send clouds of charged particles heading our way, which can disrupt satellites, communications and energy grids and endanger astronauts.