Most interactions don't result in a fusion event. The fusion that does take place in the core of the Sun produces a lot of radiation and this exerts an outward pressure on the Sun, forcing it to expand outwards. On the other hand, there's the gravity working to collapse the Sun inward.
How does the solar cycle affect the surface of the Sun?
The solar cycle affects activity on the surface of the Sun, such as sunspots which are caused by the Sun's magnetic fields. As the magnetic fields change, so does the amount of activity on the Sun's surface. This visualization represents the constant changing of the Sun's magnetic field over the course of four years.
What is a solar cycle?
The Short Answer: The solar cycle is the cycle that the Sun's magnetic field goes through approximately every 11 years. Our Sun is a huge ball of electrically-charged hot gas. This charged gas moves, generating a powerful magnetic field. The Sun's magnetic field goes through a cycle, called the solar cycle.
What happens during a solar cycle?
Over the period of a solar cycle, levels of solar radiation and ejection of solar material, the number and size of sunspots, solar flares, and coronal loops all exhibit a synchronized fluctuation from a period of minimum activity to a period of a maximum activity back to a period of minimum activity.
While the Sun can send out bursts of radiation and particles at any time during the solar cycle, it becomes much more active in the years around the solar maximum. This restless activity can be linked to our star's constantly shifting magnetic field.
How does the solar cycle affect Earth?
The Sun follows a roughly 11-year rhythm of waking up and becoming very active before calming down again, a stellar beat known as the solar cycle. This affects Earth because it shapes space weather, determining how much radiation, magnetic field and particles the Sun flings out into space and towards our planet. What is the solar cycle?
Why do solar cycles have fewer sunspots?
More recent cycles, such as solar cycle 23 & 24, have shown fewer sunspots compared to some previous cycles. The decrease in sunspot activity helps explain the dimming effect of the Sun during the last couple of decades.