The solar activity surge in early July 2026 has ended
One of the strongest solar activity surges this year, observed in late June and early July 2026, has ended. No solar flares have been recorded over the past 20 hours.
The eclipse season has begun on the SDO satellite
The eclipse season has begun on the SDO satellite, the world's primary source of solar images from space. Once a day, between approximately 7 and 8 UTC, the direction of the Sun will be blocked by Earth. In this case, the planet is distinguished from the Moon by the jagged, ragged edge of the occulting body—a clear sign of an extended atmosphere. The eclipses began yesterday, July 5, and will last until August 2.
On July 5, the Sun set a new two-year record for the number of solar flares in a single day
A new surge in solar activity recorded over the weekend set a new record for the 2025–2026 period regarding the number of solar flares in a single day. Yesterday, July 5, 24 flares of category C or higher were recorded between 00:00 and 24:00 UTC, while 26 flares were logged when the day is calculated according to Moscow time. In both instances, this represents the...
Active region 4478 observed on the Sun has become the second largest in a decade
Sunspot group 4478 has further expanded in size over the past 24 hours, reaching an area of 1,550 units. Over the past decade, it is now second in size only to the legendary active region 3664, observed in May 2024 and responsible for the strongest magnetic storm in 20 years on May 11-12 of that year.
A high-level X-ray flare has been registered on the Sun
A solar flare of the highest magnitude, X, as reported yesterday, occurred almost exactly at midnight Moscow time on the night of June 30–July 1. The time of maximum is listed in the catalog as 08:50 PM UTC.
Active region 4478
The largest sunspot group of 2026, No. 4478, captured by photographer Alfredo Vidal Perez (Spain, Barcelona)
There is a sharp increase in solar activity
Ultimately, the Sun failed to refute the first law of dialectics, and quantity nevertheless began to transform into quality. Since yesterday, the star\'s flare spiral has begun to rapidly accelerate.
Today is the full moon - the Strawberry Moon
Today is the first of three summer full moons, which are so pleasant to observe on a warm evening or night, although visually they are, of course, not as beautiful as the winter ones.
Two large active centers will be aimed at Earth throughout the first half of the week.
Two major active centers have aligned with the Sun and Earth. Almost any X-level solar flare in the next two to three days will result in a frontal impact on the planet.
The Sun has the largest active region of the year
Sunspot group 4478 has reached the largest size of all the groups in 2026. Its current 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, with an area of 1,100 units at its peak.