An active region on the sun, labeled AR1515, sent out an M5.3 class solar flare that peaked at 5:55 AM EDT on July 4, 2012. This is the same region that produced an M5.6 class flare on July 2, and several smaller flares as well. The sunspots (left, lower group) causing this latest burst of activity stretches more than 100,000 miles across, over 12 times the diameter of Earth.
