The most active sunspot of the year so far is emerging in the sun's southern hemisphere. Sunspot 1024 has at least a dozen individual dark cores and it is crackling with B-class solar flares.
The magnetic polarity of sunspot 1024 identifies it as a member of new Solar Cycle 24. Its rapid emergence continues the recent (few-month) trend of intensifying new-cycle activity. This sunspot is the best offering yet from the young solar cycle.



