SpaceWeather.com | New active Sunspot 1024 has at least a dozen dark cores & is crackling with B-class flares July 4, 2009

SUNSPOT ALERT: The most active sunspot of the year so far is emerging in the sun's southern hemisphere: movie. Sunspot 1024 has at least a dozen individual dark cores and it is crackling with B-class solar flares. This morning, amateur astronomer David Tyler caught one of the flares in action from his backyard solar observatory in England:

The magnetic polarity of sunspot 1024 identifies it as a member of new Solar Cycle 24. Its rapid emergence on July 3rd and 4th continues the recent (few-month) trend of intensifying new-cycle activity. This sunspot is the best offering yet from the young solar cycle. Monitoring is encouraged.

more images: from Michael Buxton of Ocean Beach, California; from Matt Wastell of Brisbane, Australia; from Deirdre Kelleghan of Bray , Co Wicklow Ireland; from Peter Meadows of Chelmsford, UK; from Pete Lawrence of Selsey, West Sussex, UK; from Mark Townley of Brierley Hill, West Midlands, UK; from Cesare Guaita of Tradate, Italy; from Jan Timmermans of Valkenswaard, The Netherlands; from Emiel Veldhuis of Zwolle, the Netherlands; from SOHO in orbit; from Peter Desypris on the Island of Syros, Greece; from Bruno Nolf of Otegem, Belgium