Science. 1984 Aug 24;225(4664):793-800. doi: 10.1126/science.225.4664.793.
Sunspots, flares, and the myriad time-varying "events" observable in the Sun-the only star whose surface we can examine in detail-are testimony that the Sun is a magnetically variable or active star. Its magnetic field, carried into interplanetary space by the solar wind, produces observable changes in Earth's magnetosphere and variations in the flux of galactic cosmic-ray particles incident upon Earth's upper atmosphere. Centuries of observation have enabled solar scientists to recognize that the Sun's magnetism exists and varies in a globally organized pattern that is somehow coupled to the Sun's rotation. Within the past decade O. C. Wilson demonstrated that analogs of solar activity exist and can be studied in many other dwarf stars. From the continuing study, knowledge of the precise rates of rotation of the stars under investigation is being gained for the first time. The results are expected to increase our understanding of the origin of solar activity and stellar activity in general.
太阳黑子、耀斑以及太阳表面上无数随时间变化的“事件”——这是我们唯一可以详细观察到的恒星——证明太阳是一颗磁变或活动恒星。它的磁场通过太阳风进入行星际空间，在地球的磁层中产生可观测的变化，并使银河宇宙射线粒子入射地球高层大气的通量发生变化。几个世纪的观测使太阳科学家能够认识到太阳的磁场确实存在，并以某种方式与太阳的自转相关联的方式随时间变化。在过去的十年中，O.C.威尔逊证明了太阳活动的类似现象存在，并可以在许多其他矮星中进行研究。通过持续的研究，首次获得了正在研究的恒星的精确自转速率的知识。预计这些结果将提高我们对太阳活动和恒星活动一般起源的理解。
