Sunspot Group 10486 10-30-2003

Leor Zolman
Meade LX200GPS 8" at f/10
Philips ToUcam Pro webcam
Thousand Oaks Optical Type 2 Plus Solar Filter
(Single frame of 150 frames @5FPS)

This group was responsible for the massive flares/CMEs that resulted in vivid aurora activity in late October.

A Solar Terrestrial Dispatch from spacew.com said:

"Region 486 is now the largest sunspot complex of the solar cycle.
It is BIG! It now covers a surface area of over 7.8 BILLION square
kilometers (or slightly over 3 BILLION square miles)! And it's
still growing larger! Although this is difficult to place into
perspective, it may help to understand that you could map the
entire surfaces of the 4 inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and
Mars) together with the giant gas planet Neptune, all within the
area encompassed by sunspot complex 486 - with room to spare."