Astrophotographer captures stunning close-up views of sunspot region that spawned May's auroras

Close up image of the sun's surface shows huge fiery looking tendrils reaching out from the surface of the sun as giant loops of plasma frolic above the solar surface.

Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy has been keeping a watchful eye on sunspot AR3697 as it appears over the sun's southeastern limb. The incredible footage, captured from his backyard in Arizona showcases the turbulent nature of the sunspot region in great detail. 

"Unlike most celestial objects, the sun looks quite different from day to day, and is filled with exciting events like flares or coronal mass ejections. There's always something interesting to look at!" McCarthy told Space.com in an email.