Sunspot 1024 is growing again. It now measures 125,000 km from end to end, almost as wide as the planet Jupiter.
The size of the spot makes it a fine target for backyard solar telescopes. Sunspot 1024 is the first big sunspot of new Solar Cycle 24, and it is crackling with minor but photogenic B-class flares. By itself, this one active region won’t bring an end to the deepest solar minimum in a century, but it does show that the sun’s magnetic dynamo is still working, a fact some had begun to doubt. More sunspots are coming, so stay tuned.
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