... A Backward Sunspot and the New Solar Cycle . ... Credit: MDI , SOHO , ESA , NASA Explanation: Why is sunspot 905 backwards? Perhaps it is a key marker for the beginning of a new magnetic cycle on our Sun . Every 11 years, our Sun goes through a magnetic cycle , at the end of which its overall magnetic orientation is reversed. ... Just now, the Sun is near Solar Minimum , and likely to start a long progression toward the most active time, called Solar Maximum , in about 5.5 years. ...