Apparently it is shooting off solar flares like mad. And just yesterday, they detected an X28 blast that saturated satellite sensors designed to detect x-rays for 11 minutes straight. The X28 blast from one of the sunspots was the highest recorded blast since measurements have been taken with satellite observation systems. The sunspots that are most active are now heading towards the other side of the sun but will be reaimed back at Earth within approximately 2 weeks. If that X28 blast had been aimed directly at Earth, there probably would have been major satellite malfunctions, power grid blackouts and one hell of an aurora borealis light show visible at the equator. What's next?
Just as solar scientists were ready to start breathing normally again, active region 10486 blasted off yet another mega-flare. This one saturated the X-ray detectors on the NOAA's GOES satellites; the jury was therefore out for a while on the definitive classification of the flare. Based on the data found on the NOAA SEC's space weather pages (and links therein), speculations ranged from simply well above X20, to X40 or even X50. Today word came from the SEC that their best estimate was X28. There is still a small chance this will be revised by a small amount, but it is now official: We have a new number 1 X-ray flare for the record books. Earlier flares from the same region are described on this Hot Shot page. Taken together with the breathtaking farewell of region 10486, the last two weeks will stand out for decades in the X-ray flare community. Saturation of the GOES detectors also happened once earlier in SOHO's history, on 4 April 2001. That flare was reclassified as an X20. A very preliminary estimate based on just 3 images of the associated CME came out at about 2300 km/second. Although part of the CME is directed towards Earth, we expect to receive only a glancing blow, since the source region is right on the limb of the Sun as seen from Earth. http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
Is that why we've had 80 degree days in November in NYC? Is it gradual global warming or cosmic irregularities in the solar system?
I don't know, but whatever the sun is doing, it hasn't done this before so long as we've been keeping records. I can't wait to see what is in store for us in two weeks when sunspot 10486 comes back around for another go at us.