Although sunspot maximum has passed, the Sun remains active as evidenced by the strong auroral storm that took place September 7th and 8th. Now a large sunspot group that was visible in August has returned to the Earth-facing side of the Sun. During this solar rotation, the spot complex (previously designated 10069) is known as Region 10105. It has already produced several minor, but fairly bright, M-class x-ray flares since reappearing on the eastern solar limb several days ago. It's visible to the naked eye (when proper solar filters are used) and is currently near the center of the solar disk.
If you missed the aurora show earlier this month, don't despair. Although sunspot maximum has come and gone, the maximum for geomagnetic storm activity (which is most closely tied to auroral storm activity) has not yet passed. As a result, auroral storms should continue to be prevalent over the next couple of years.
If your skies are cloudy, follow the progress of this sunspot group through the SOHO spacecraft or Big Bear Solar Observatory Web sites.
Those interested in receiving alerts about possible auroral activity can sign up for Sky & Telescope's AstroAlert e-mail news service for solar activity and auroras. More information about auroral activity and the current state of the Sun can be found on the Solar Terrestrial Dispatch Noteworthy Events Web page.
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