In article ,
MarsFossils writes
Hello,

I am giving a lunch-and-learn about the sun this Thursday and would
like, as part of my presentation, to tell a funny story about the sun.
Jokes about solar magnetism or nuclear fusion or neutrino studies or
funny solar science history anecdotes would work too. If anybody
could post any any stories of this kind, they would be very much
appreciated. If you know a link to a good cartoon, post that. The
audience is mainly non-scientific although they probably already heard
the one about the not-too-swift solar-explorer-astronauts planning a
landing on the sun at night when it is dark and cool.

Thanks,

Michael

One funny story is that many astronomers think there is some kind of
dynamo inside the Sun which produces magnetic fields so powerful that
they can expel billions of tonnes of matter into space and have field
lines (!) that can stretch, twist and break with explosive force. The
"lines" are an imaginary math concept which Faraday proposed to indicate
the strength and direction of the magnetic field. Fortunately the
"magnetic lines" in our large rotating electrical machinery do not
behave in this peculiar fashion.
If you would like to mention a more rational explanation of solar
characteristics see
http:www.brox1.demon.co.uk/sun2.htm
and/or (illustrated)
http:/www.brox1.demon.co.uk/solar/Solarphysics.htm

I hope you have a good lunch and an appreciative audience.
--
Eric Crew