Solar Cycle 24

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.