Changes of the neutral line on the source surface (analogous to the magnetic dip equator of the earth) during the period between 1976 and 1983 are examined on the basis of the Stanford solar magnetic field data. Instead of the standard Mercator-like projection, the neutral line is shown on a spherical surface for 16 selected Carrington rotations. In spite of great complexity of the field variations, this presentation depicts clearly a fairly systematic rotational reversal of the dipolar field on the source surface during the sunspot maximum years. It is suggested that this solar situation is somewhat analogous to the planet earth in the sense that the core surface and the earth's surface may correspond to the photosphere and the source surface, respectively. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1987 |