WASHINGTON: A new study has found that just like the Earth, our Sun experiences seasonal changes which scientists believe can now help them better predict solar storms.

The Sun goes through a type of seasonal variability with its activing waxing and waning over the course of almost two years, according to the study published in Nature Communication and conducted by a team of researchers led by the National Centre for Atmospheric Research.

This behavior affects the peaks and valleys of the approximately 11 year solar cycle and can amplify or weaken the solar storms that impact Earth’s atmosphere.

The quasi-annual variations appear to be driven by changes in the bands of strong magnetic fields in each solar hemisphere. These bands help shape the approximately 11 year cycle and are actually part of a longer cycle that lasts about 22 years.

The overlapping bands are fueled by the rotation of the Sun’s deep interior. As the bands move with the Sun’s northern and southern hemispheres, activity raises to a peak over a period of 11 years and then begins to wane.