Sunspot Series, Solar Cycle 23, 2001
This was the largest sunspot group of this solar cycle as it moved with the Sun's rotation. On March 30, 2001, the sunspot area within the group (called active region 9393) extended across an area more than 13 times the diameter of the Earth It yielded numerous flares and coronal mass ejections, including the largest X-ray flare recorded in 25 years on April 2, 2001, the last image in the series. Caused by intense magnetic fields emerging from the interior, a sunspot appears to be dark only when contrasted against the rest of the solar surface, because it is slightly cooler than the unmarked regions. Solar cycle 23 was the 23rd solar cycle since 1755, when recording of solar sunspot activity began. The solar cycle lasted years, beginning in May 1996 and ending in January 2008.
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