APPROACHING ACTIVE REGION: A significant active region is about to emerge over the sun's northeastern limb. The underlying sunspots are not yet visible from Earth, but the region's towering magnetic canopy is already in view. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) took this picture during the early hours of Feb. 23rd:



A better view is had by NASA's STEREO-B probe, stationed over the sun's eastern limb where it can see the region from top down. Recent movies beamed back by STEREO-B show flashes of extreme UV radiation and hints of magnetic instability. This could herald a period of renewed solar activity when the region turns toward Earth in the days ahead. Or the action could peter out beforehand. Stay tuned for updates.