Amateur astronomers around the world are reporting strong activity on the limb of the sun. "The prominences on June 4th were gigantic," says Mike Borman, who photographed this specimen from his backyard observatory in Evansville, Indiana:

Solar Activity
© Mike BormanImage Taken: Jun 4, 2011
Location: Evansville, Indiana, USA
Solar Activity_1
© Mike Borman
Prominences are clouds of hot plasma held above the stellar surface by unstable magnetic fields. They can shift, subside, surge, and sometimes even explode--almost anything is possible. Readers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments.

More Images:

From Jesus Carmona de Argila of Madrid (SPAIN); from Didier Favre of Brétigny-sur-Orge, France; from Greg Piepol of Rockville, Maryland; from Michael Buxton of Ocean Beach, California; from Monty Leventhal OAM of Sydney. Australia; from Theo Ramakers of Social Circle GA; from John Stetson of Falmouth, Maine; from Cai-Uso Wohler of Bispingen, Germany; from Michael Boschat of Halifax,Nova Scotia, Canada; from Peter Desypris of Syros,Greece; from Raymond Lalonde of Cornwall, ON, Canada