http://www.newsweek.com/sun-solar-cycle-active-peak-recorded-sunspots-1734573

While the the sun might appear like a still disk in the sky, our star is actually a dynamic object that goes through cycles of activity. But what exactly are solar cycles and what are they characterized by?

The sun is a giant, fiery ball of electrically charged, superheated matter—mostly hydrogen and helium—that lies at the center of our solar system, the mass of which it makes up 99.86 percent.