SUNSPOTS: Earth-facing sunspots 1579 and 1582 are so large, sky watchers are noticing them without the assistance of a solar telescope. When the low-hanging sun is dimmed by clouds and haze, the two spots can be seen punctuating the sunset:

Lauri Kangas took this picture on the evening of October 2nd from Fort Frances, Ontario. ” The sun was easy to photograph safely without any protective filters due to the clouds and smoke from forest fires in northwestern Ontario,” says Kangas.

Although these sunspots are large (each one is wider than Earth) they are not very active. Their magnetic canopies contain are simply organized, containing no unstable structures that pose a threat for flares. NOAA forecasters say there is less than a 5% chance of M-flares and a 1% chance of X-flares today.

from:   spaceweather.com