A spectacular image of the sun reveals the explosive activity near its visible surface.

Thousands of photographs taken by Andrew McCarthy in Arizona were layered to create the dynamic composite image.

Sunspots and ejections of matter can be seen, as can magnetic loops projecting from the surface.

More than one terabyte of data was processed to create the 375 megapixel final image.

The sun is currently approaching the peak of its 11-year solar cycle where it is more active than in other years, ejecting charged particles and firing them towards Earth.

The increased activity has been blamed for this year’s more common and more extreme solar storms, which have created spectacular auroras in the night sky.