Remember the strong active region 798 and associated sunspot group that blasted out many flares and coronal mass ejections as it transited the Sun in August?

Then it reappeared on Sept. 7 as Active Region 808 and behaved even more wildly with many more X-class flares and storms?

When last we saw Active Region 808 as it was rotating out of view on September 18, there were signs that it was decaying and its run was probably over. It has other ideas.

Judging by the swirling activity above an active region that is just beginning to swing into view on the left side of the Sun, it's back. And it is giving every indication that it has plenty of energy in store for us. As seen in extreme ultraviolet light, over a three-day period (October 2-4, 2005), it certainly appears ready to rumble again. The large loops and structures above the active region are charged particles spinning along magnetic field lines extending out from the Sun.

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Previous Picks of the Week

SOHO began its Weekly Pick some time after sending a weekly image or video clip to the American Museum of Natural History (Rose Center) in New York City. There, the SOHO Weekly Pick is displayed with some annotations on a large plasma display.

If your institution would also like to receive the same Weekly Pick from us for display (usually in Photoshop or QuickTime format), please send your inquiry to steele.hill@gsfc.nasa.gov.