Sun turns into stormy 'benevolent monster"

November 4, 2011

"It's beautiful," said forecaster Jess Whittington. - Sunspots

"It's still growing. The size is what blows me away."

After years of quiet, the sun is coming alive

with solar storms in a big way.

The sun shot off a flare Thursday afternoon from a region that scientists are calling a "benevolent monster." Scientists at the federal Space Weather Prediction Center say that area is the most active part of the sun since 2005. It has dozens of sunspots, including one that is the size of 17 Earths. Sunspots are kinks or knots in the sun's magnetic field.

The region will be facing Earth for

about two weeks as it rotates, he said.

Solar flares send out bursts of electromagnetic energy that can occasionally disrupt communications and electrical systems.

source: cbsnews.com