High Solar Activity Continues

Solar activity remains high as the sun crackles with X-class and near-X-class solar flares. Three sunspots are participating (4477, 4478 and 4479), and they appear to be talking to one another. Consider this 8-hour movie recorded on July 1st by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:

The sequence includes a pair of M3-class solar flares and a powerful M8.5. All of the explosions are puffing clouds of hot plasma into space--some of them with an Earth-directed component. Our magnetosphere will feel the blows over the 4th of July weekend, setting the stage for a light show even more heavenly than fireworks.

Source: https://www.spaceweather.com/