This is a recent X-ray image of the sun, taken by the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT)
on board the Yohkoh satellite.  The image is a composite of a long and short
exposure for increased dynamic range.  Prior to compositing, the component 
images are corrected for CCD dark current, straylight, and pointing

Near real time contextual data from other satellite and ground based solar 
observatories is available at http://www.lmsal.com/SXT/html/First_Light.html

Recent movies (JavaScript,MPEG,and gif animation)  are available on WWW at
      http://www.lmsal.com/SXT/movies/lastsfd.html