The sunspot "source-ery" Sunspots, which are cooler, darker areas of intense magnetic activity, are most often the source of solar storms. If we take the observations of the Sun's lower atmosphere in extreme ultraviolet light (July 17-18, 2011), then digitally peer down through the atmosphere to video of the surface seen in filtered light, we can see the correlation of the sunspots to the brighter active regions above the surface. The loops above the sunspot regions reveal magnetic field lines pushing out from the Sun. It is a little like sorcery, isn't it?