Sun's Magnetic Field Wobbles in Midlife, Puzzles Scientists
New observations and simulations suggest that sun‑like stars, including our Sun, undergo a magnetic‑crisis in mid‑life: their global magnetic field weakens as dynamos slow and may shift from complex to simpler configurations before possibly reviving later. This impacts how stars spin, the space weather they produce, and the habitability of surrounding planets; researchers debate whether the field is truly collapsing or entering a temporary minimum, with implications for interpreting exoplanet biosignatures as NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory searches for life‑bearing worlds.
