Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Last major update issued on August 9, 2010 at 02:10 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)
[Solar cycles 21-24 (last update August 3, 2010)]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update August 3, 2010)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update August 3, 2010)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports (last update July 3, 2010)]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on August 8. Solar wind speed ranged between 330 and 422 km/s. Late in the day and early on August 9 it appears as if a weak, low speed coronal hole stream has become the dominant solar wind factor.

Solar flux measured at 23h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 82.6. The planetary A index was 4 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 3.8). Three hour interval K indices: 10011122 (planetary), 11012121 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class A9 level.

At midnight UTC the visible solar disk had 4 spotted regions.

Region 11092 was quiet and stable and will be rotating over the northwest limb.
Region 11093 was mostly unchanged and quiet.
Region 11095 did not change significantly and was quiet.
New region 11096 emerged in the northern hemisphere near the central meridian.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

August 6 and 8: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were seen in LASCO or STEREO images.
August 7: An impressive (large and wide) CME was observed in STEREO-B images after the M1 flare in region 11093. The CME is highly likely Earth directed.

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

A small, recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH416) was Earth facing on August 5.

Image courtesy of SDO (NASA) and the AIA consortium. Annotations are my own. 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 to fair. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on August 9 due to effects from CH416. Sometime between 18h UTC on August 9 and 18h on August 10 the CME observed on August 7 will likely reach Earth and cause unsettled to major storm conditions.

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 Spot count Location at midnight Area Classification SDO (NASA) / AIA 4500
image
Comment
SWPC STAR SWPC STAR Current Previous
11092 2010.07.28 1 1 N13W74 0180 HSX HSX  
11093 2010.08.04 2 2 N11E15 0140 CSO CSO  
11095 2010.08.05 2 3 S17E08 0010 HRX CRO area: 0020
S798 2010.08.05     S13W02           plage
11096 2010.08.08 1 9 N22W05 0000 AXX BXO   area: 0030
Total spot count: 6 15  
SSN: 46 55  

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average measured solar flux International sunspot number (SIDC) Smoothed sunspot number Average ap
(3)
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)  
2008.07 65.7 (SF minimum) 0.5 2.8 (-0.4)  
2008.12 69.2 0.8 1.7 (-)
sunspot minimum
3.25
2009.06 68.6 2.9 2.7 (+0.4) 5.22
2009.07 68.2 3.2 3.6 (+0.9) 5.49 / 4.55
2009.08 67.3 0.0 4.8 (+1.2) 5.70 / 4.89
2009.09 70.5 4.3 6.2 (+1.4) 3.88 / 3.61
2009.10 72.6 4.8 7.1 (+0.9) 3.66 / 3.56
2009.11 73.6 4.1 7.6 (+0.5) 2.45 / 2.63
2009.12 76.7 10.8 8.3 (+0.7) 1.41 / 1.92
2010.01 81.1 13.2 9.3 (+1.0) 2.93 / 3.07
2010.02 84.7 18.8 (10.6 predicted, +1.3) 4.15 / 4.61
2010.03 83.4 15.4 (12.3 predicted, +1.7) 4.58 / 4.65
2010.04 75.9 7.9 (13.9 predicted, +1.6) 10.22 / 10.24
2010.05 73.8 8.8 (15.3 predicted, +1.4) 9.18 / 8.15
2010.06 72.5 13.5 (16.7 predicted, +1.4) 8.17 / 6.85
2010.07 79.8 16.1 (18.3 predicted, +1.6) 6.31
2010.08 81.2 (1) 8.6 (2) (19.5 predicted, +1.2) (12.13)

1) Running average based on the daily 20:00 UTC observed solar flux value at 2800 MHz.
2) Current impact on the monthly sunspot number based on the Boulder (NOAA/SWPC) sunspot number (accumulated daily sunspots / month days). The official international sunspot number is typically 30-50% lower.
3) Running average based on the daily SWPC ap indices. Values in red are based on the official NGDC ap indices.

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.