One of the largest sunspots in recent years is now crossing our Sun . Although quiet so far, the regions in and around this large magnetic depression are under watch for explosive eruptions . AR 9169 holds the largest sunspot yet produced during this Solar Maximum , the time of greatest sunspot activity during the Sun's 11-year magnetic cycle . The sunspot in AR 9169 is over twice the diameter of a normal sunspot , but only about half the area of a sunspot once recorded in 1947. Rotating with the Sun , AR 9169 will take about 30 days to make one complete circle , slowly breaking up during this time .
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