the Sun's dynamo

You may be familiar with the use of a dynamo on a bicycle - the movement of the cycle is used to generate the electricity to power the lights. How does this work? When a wire is moved across a magnetic field, the electrons in the metal wire begin to move and an electric current flows through it. A small amount of kinetic energy is transferred into electrical energy.

But does the Sun’s dynamo work like that of a bike? The principle is the same, but there are no wires and certainly no one is pedalling!

The link between magnetism and electricity was first discovered by Michael Faraday.

As well as being a brilliant scientist, Faraday was also a very good lecturer. He gave the first Christmas Lectures for young people at the Royal Institution.

Famous scientists still give these lectures, which can be seen on television between Christmas and New Year.