Bands of Magnetized Solar Material (IMAGE) NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Caption Bands of magnetized solar material march toward the sun's equator. The way the bands in each hemisphere interact leads to a 330-day cycle of waxing and waning activity on the sun that can be as strong as the more well-studied 11-year solar cycle. Credit S. McIntosh Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.