Reflections on solar variability

The Sun is a variable star in many respects: there are secular varitions related to the general solar evolution, and - as discovered in recent years - there are many short period variations of which the 5 min and 160 min pulsations are the most important ones. Magnetic fields in the outer convective mantle play a dominant role in the 22-years cycle. The origin of solar magnetic variability is a key problem in astrophysics. The relation between solar variability and changes in the Earth's climate is a crucial element in climatology.Introductory talk to the 14th ESLAB Symposium: Physics of Solar Variations, 16–19 September, 1980, Scheveningen, The Netherlands.