Sunspot 1996 produced M3.5 solar flare

Active Region 1996, located in the northern hemisphere, produced moderate  M3.5 solar flare at 03:50 UTC on March 11, 2014. This active region continues to rotate closer towards the northwestwern limb.  

SDO's AIA 304 and EVE with GOES X-ray flux plot (Credit: SDO/NOAA/SWPC)

There are currently 6 visible sunspots facing Earth. Active Region 2002 located in the southeast quadrant produced three M1 flares and few C-Class solar flares. Growing Sunspot 2002 has developed a 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for X-class solar flares. New sunspots 2003 and 2004 were numbered overnight. All other visible regions remain stable or in a state of decay.  

No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections were observed in satellite imagery. NOAA/SWPC forecasters estimate 60% chance of an M-class flares and 10% chance of X-class flares in the next 24 hours.

Featured image: SDO's AIA 304 image taken at 03:55 UTC on March 11, 2014. (Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams)