The Sun has the largest active region of the year

Sunspot group 4478 has reached its largest size among all the 2026 groups. Currently, its area is almost 1,200 units (the exact value is 1,190). The previous largest group, No. 4366, observed in February, produced an X8.1 flare and, in passing, broke the 21st-century record for the total number of strong flares, reaching an area of 1,100 units at its peak.

There is no actual activity in the area yet. The group seems to be living its own life: it seethes, churns, and accumulates energy, but shows no tendency to produce large explosions. Occasionally, weak clouds of plasma are emitted from here into space (one will reach Earth on June 30, another on July 1), but overall, its inner workings are unclear. There\'s a certain introvertedness on the Sun for now.

The day after tomorrow, the group will precisely align with the Sun and Earth. Hopefully, its character will remain unchanged by then.