ELLERMAN BOMBS: Sunspot AR2776 isn't flaring. It's flashing. Solar photographer Philippe Tosi captured the outbursts of light scattered around the sunspot's magnetic canopy.

The flashes are "Ellerman Bombs"--magnetic explosions about one-millionth as powerful as true solar flares.


In the image above, Tosi inserted a picture of Earth for comparison. Each Ellerman bomb is about the size of a US state! So much for the "quiet sun"...