Sunspot - This is a close-up view of a large sunspot that appeared on the Sun's surface (Active Region 1492). You can clearly see two distinct regions which make up the sunspot: the dark central Umbra and the surrounding lighter Penumbra. Sunspots like this one are regions of high magnetic activity, and pose a risk to satellites and electrical grids on Earth should charged particles from these sun-storms be released in our direction.
