the degauss oscillator circuit on a color CRT turns on for a couple of seconds when the monitor is switched on. on some units it can also be triggered manually using a button.
it is audible as a HMMMMM... sound with decreasing volume. it also is easily visible by a wavering of the entire image, like ripples in a pond. the magnitude of the oscillation is damped, so that it fades away before switching off at the end of its cycle.
degaussing is used to remove residual magnetic fields from a magnetic surface, and must always be decreased in power like this to leave the surface in a demagnetized state.
however, the degauss system is not able to fix all cases of magnetization, just those that arise in the course of normal operation (for example, the magnetic field that is induced when the CRT is turned relative to the Earth's field). If a strong magnet is placed too near to the CRT, it can leave the surface magnetized beyond the capacity of the degauss system.
another common cause of the problem is damage or tampering to the purity magnets around the CRT's neck.