‘Monster Sunspot’ Looms Over Paris in Skywatcher Photo Sunspot AR1476 appears visible to the naked eye in this haunting skywatching image. Astrophotographer Vegastar Carpentier captured this image of the sun with sunspot AR 1476 visibly rising over a building in Paris on May 13. This sunspot is 60,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) across in the image and was first detected by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft on May 5. Its large size led scientists to call it a “monster sunspot.” The sunspot began to unleash a series of powerful solar flares as it moved across the sun.

‘Monster Sunspot’ Looms Over Paris in Skywatcher Photo

Sunspot AR1476 appears visible to the naked eye in this haunting skywatching image.

Astrophotographer Vegastar Carpentier captured this image of the sun with sunspot AR 1476 visibly rising over a building in Paris on May 13.

This sunspot is 60,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) across in the image and was first detected by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft on May 5. Its large size led scientists to call it a “monster sunspot.” The sunspot began to unleash a series of powerful solar flares as it moved across the sun.