Solar Cycle 24 is starting to come alive and show active regions, sunspots, flares, and CMEs. On Sunday AR 11093, the large magnetic complex in the center of this AIA 171 image from August 10, 2010, had an M-class flare. Two Earth-directed CMEs have been launched in the last 10 days. The only thing that is missing is activity in the southern hemisphere. It is normal for the two hemispheres of the Sun to reach maximum at different times, but there seems to be an increasing lag, with the southern hemisphere reaching maximum later than the northern. Stay tuned!
