On July 19th, a region of high magnetic activity rotated over the sun's southeastern limb. Extreme UV telescopes on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recorded these plumes of hot plasma heralding the approach:
© SDO

White-light images of the emerging region subsequently revealed the dark cores of a large and complex sunspot, newly numbered AR1089.

Update July 20 at 1400 UT: The sunspot is now growing even larger. It has a restless magnetic field that is crackling with B- and C-class eruptions, as shown in these movies from SDO. Readers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor the region as it turns to face Earth.

More images: from John C McConnell of Maghaberry Northern Ireland; from Howard Eskildsen of Ocala, Florida; from Pavol Rapavy of Observatory Rimavská Sobota; from Francois Rouviere of Mougins, France; from Peter Paice of Belfast, Northern Ireland