Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Last major update issued on April 29, 2008 at 04:15 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)
[Solar cycles 21-23 (last update October 4, 2007)]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22 and 23 (last update October 4, 2007)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 2, 10, 13, 17, 20 and 23 (last update October 4, 2007)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports (last update April 7, 2008)]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on April 28. Solar wind speed ranged between 400 and 483 km/s.

Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 68.5. The planetary A index was 11 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 11.4). Three hour interval K indices: 21233333 (planetary), 21333333 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is below the class A1 level.

At midnight the visible solar disk was spotless. The solar flare activity level was very low.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

April 27-28: No partially or fully Earth directed CMEs were observed.
April 26: A partial halo CME was observed in LASCO C3 images following a filament eruption in the northern hemisphere (location: N08E08) at 13:54 UTC. Most of the ejected material was observed off of the northeast limb.

Coronal holes

Coronal hole history (since late October 2002)
Compare today's report to the situation one solar rotation ago: 28 days ago 27 days ago 26 days ago

What used to be recurrent coronal hole (CH319) has decayed quickly over the last solar rotation and broken into smaller coronal holes. Two small coronal holes in the southern hemisphere (CH322 and CH323) were or will be in Earth facing positions on April 26 and April 28-29 respectively. The eastern part of CH319 is now CH324. CH324 will be Earth facing on April 30 and May 1.

Processed SOHO/EIT 195 image at 00:24 UTC on April 29. The darkest areas on the solar disk are likely coronal holes.

Propagation

Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over high and upper middle latitudes is poor. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is fair.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on April 28. A CME observed on April 26 could cause unsettled to active conditions during the latter half of April 29. Weak effects from CH322 are possible on April 30 and from CH323 on May 1-2 while CH324 could cause unsettled to active conditions on May 3-4.

Coronal holes (1) Coronal mass ejections (2) M and X class flares (3)



1) Effects from a coronal hole could reach Earth within the next 5 days. When the high speed stream has arrived the color changes to green.
2) Effects from a CME are likely to be observed at Earth within 96 hours.
3) There is a possibility of either M or X class flares within the next 48 hours.

Green: 0-20% probability, Yellow: 20-60% probability, Red: 60-100% probability.

Active solar regions (Recent map)

Compare to the previous day's image.

Data for all numbered solar regions according to the Solar Region Summary provided by NOAA/SWPC. Comments are my own, as is the STAR spot count (spots observed at or inside a few hours before midnight) and data for regions not numbered by SWPC or where SWPC has observed no spots. SWPC active region numbers in the table below and in the active region map above are the historic SWPC/USAF numbers.

Active region Date numbered SWPC
spot
count
STAR
spot
count
Location at midnight Area Classification Comment
10992 2008.04.22     N13W84     plage
Total spot count: 0 0  
SSN: 0 0  

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average solar
flux at Earth
International sunspot number Smoothed sunspot number
2000.04 184.2 125.5 120.8
cycle 23 sunspot max.
2000.07 202.3 170.1 119.8
2001.12 235.1 132.2 114.6 (-0.9)
2007.02 77.7 10.7 11.5 (-0.4)
2007.03 72.2 4.5 10.7 (-0.8)
2007.04 72.4 3.4 9.8 (-0.9)
2007.05 74.4 11.7 8.6 (-1.2)
2007.06 73.7 12.1 7.6 (-1.0)
2007.07 71.6 9.7 6.9 (-0.7)
2007.08 69.1 6.0 6.0 (-0.9)
2007.09 67.1 2.4 5.9 (-0.1)
2007.10 67.4 0.9 (6.3 predicted, +0.4)
2007.11 69.6 1.7 (6.5 predicted, +0.2)
2007.12 78.5 10.1 (6.6 predicted, +0.2)
2008.01 74.3 3.4 (7.0 predicted, +0.4)
2008.02 71.1 2.1 (7.9 predicted, +1.0)
2008.03 72.9 9.3 (9.4 predicted, +1.5)
2008.04 70.5 (1) 4.5 (2) (10.8 predicted, +1.4)

1) Running average based on the daily 20:00 UTC observed solar flux value at 2800 MHz.
2) Unofficial, accumulated value based on the Boulder (NOAA/SWPC) sunspot number. The official international sunspot number is typically 30-50% lower.

This report has been prepared by Jan Alvestad. It is based partly on my own observations and analysis, and partly on data from some of these solar data sources. All time references are to the UTC day. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.


[DX-Listeners' Club]