Without the sun, we would not be talking today, and no one would be able to listen while drinking coffee or a cup of juice.

We couldn't go to work, we couldn't go to school, because the sun is ultimately the source of all of the energy in our solar system and in us even.

But it can also be the source of destruction if we don't pay close attention.

Most days the sun appears to be happily hovering over us, providing warmth and light,

but it does have this bit of a mean streak, if you will.

The sun is very dynamic.

It's constantly changing.

And when you zoom in on it and stare at it, it almost looks like it's breathing.

This is NASA's curious universe.

Our universe is a wild and wonderful place.

I'm Patty Boyd, and in this podcast, NASA is your tour guide.

As Earth makes its annual journey around the Sun, we experience that journey in the form of seasons.

Earth's tilt in relation to the Sun determines what season we experience here on Earth.

But did you know that the sun goes through seasons too?

The sun doesn't have seasons like you and I experience.

It's seasons of activity come and go every 11 years or so in what's called the solar cycle.

If you've ever been around a toddler, you've probably experienced how they have bursts of playful

activity followed by complete crashes, often with a meltdown in between, right before

they finally give up and fall asleep on the floor right next to their bed. But this will repeat

the next day and the next day and

the next, always leading up to nap time. And sometimes the meltdowns are mild and other times

there's lots of screaming and tears. That's Sabrina Savage. She's a solar physicist at NASA's

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