Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on June 25, 2012 at 04:25 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)
[Solar cycles 21-24 (last update June 2, 2012)]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update June 2, 2012)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update June 2, 2012)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update June 24, 2012)]

[POES auroral activity level since October 2009 - updated June 19, 2012]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated June 27, 2011]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on June 24. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 338 and 386 km/s.

Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 85.3 (decreasing 25.0 over the last solar rotation). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 5 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 5.1). Three hour interval K indices: 21112211 (planetary), 11112211 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class A8 level.

At midnight UTC the visible solar disk had 8 spotted active regions (in 2K resolution SDO images).

Region 11510 [S15W66] reemerged with a few spots.
Region 11511 [N15W42] decayed slowly and quietly and could soon become spotless.

Spotted active regions not numbered or interpreted differently by NOAA/SWPC:
S1745
[N20E42] decayed slowly and quietly.
S1748 [S12E03] was quiet and could soon become spotless.
S1749 [S09W76] decayed as it approached the southwest limb.
New region S1750 [S16E55] emerged with several spots and was the only region on the visible disk with any penumbra by the end of the day.
New region S1751 [S11E27] emerged with a tiny spot.
New region S1752 [S18W27] emerged with a tiny spot near a small coronal hole.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

June 22-24: No obvious Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO imagery.

Coronal holes

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

A large recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH521) will likely rotate into an Earth facing position on June 28-30. 

Coronal hole map

The above coronal hole map is based on a method where coronal holes are detected automatically. While the method may need some fine tuning, it has significant advantages over detecting coronal holes manually. The main improvement is the ability to detect coronal holes at and just beyond the solar limbs. Early results using this method for SDO images over a span of several weeks indicate a good match between coronal holes observed over the visible disk and their extent and position at the east and west limbs. Note that the polar coronal holes are easily detected using this method, the extent and intensity of both CHs are consistent with other data sources.

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 June 25-27. What may be a poorly defined coronal hole was in an Earth facing position on June 23 and could cause a minor increase in geomagnetic activity on June 26-27.

Coronal holes (1) Coronal mass ejection (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

Click on image for higher resolution image) Compare to the previous day's image

When available the active region map has a coronal hole polarity overlay where red (pink) is negative and blue (blue-green) is positive.

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
detected
Spot count Location at midnight Area Classification SDO / HMI 4K continuum
image with magnetic polarity overlay
Comment
SWPC STAR SDO SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
11510 2012.06.16
2012.06.19
2 4 3 S16W67 0010 CRO BXO    
S1738 2012.06.18       N15W57           plage
S1741 2012.06.19       S26E12           plage
S1742 2012.06.19       S22W39           plage
11511 2012.06.20
2012.06.22
2 2   N15W44 0020 CRO AXX area: 0000
S1744 2012.06.20       S32W19           plage
S1745 2012.06.21   1 1 N20E42 0000   AXX  
S1746 2012.06.22       N29W55           plage
S1747 2012.06.22       S30E09         plage
S1748 2012.06.23   2   S12E03 0000   AXX  
S1749 2012.06.23   1   S09W76 0000   AXX  
S1750 2012.06.24   3 2 S16E55 0030   DRO    
S1751 2012.06.24   1 1 S11E27 0000   AXX    
S1752 2012.06.24   1   S18W27 0000   AXX    
Total spot count: 4 15 7  
Sunspot number: 24 95 47  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted penumbral SN: 10 18 10  (Sum of total spot count + classification weighting for each AR. Classification weighting: X=0, R=3, A/S=5, H/K=10)
Relative sunspot number (Wolf number): 14 33 26 k * (sunspot number). k = 0.6 for SWPC, k = 0.35 (changed from 0.45 on March 1, 2011) for STAR SDO 2K, k = 0.55 for STAR SDO 1K

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average measured solar flux International sunspot number (SIDC) Smoothed sunspot number Average ap
(3)
2008.07 65.7 (SF minimum) 0.5 2.8 (-0.4)  
2008.12 69.2 0.8 1.7 (-)
sunspot minimum
 
2011.03 115.0 56.2 36.9 (+3.5) 8.18
2011.04 112.6 54.4 41.8 (+4.9) 8.83
2011.05 95.8 41.6 47.6 (+5.8) 8.94
2011.06 95.8 37.0 53.2 (+5.6) 8.06
2011.07 94.2 43.9 57.2 (+4.0) 8.16
2011.08 101.7 50.6 59.0 (+1.8) 7.26
2011.09 133.8 78.0 59.5 (+0.5) 12.27
2011.10 137.3 88.0 59.9 (+0.4) 8.28
2011.11 153.5 96.7 61.1 (+1.2) 5.55
2011.12 141.3 73.0 (64.3 projected, +3.2) 3.78
2012.01 132.5 58.3 (68.0 projected, +3.7) 7.15
2012.02 106.5 33.1 (71.3 projected, +3.3) 8.81
2012.03 114.7 64.2 (73.0 projected, +1.7) 16.08
2012.04 113.0 55.2 (73.2 projected, +0.2) 10.10
2012.05 121.5 69.0 (73.2 projected, +0.0) 8.75
2012.06 122.6 (1) 75.5 (2A) / 94.3 (2B) (73.9 projected, +0.7) (12.82)

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

This report has been prepared by Jan Alvestad. It is based on analysis of data from whatever sources are available at the time the report is prepared. All time references are to the UTC day. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

SDO images are courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.