Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on April 10, 2014 at 04:40 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update April 1, 2014)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update April 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update April 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update April 1, 2014)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update April 2, 2014)]

[POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated March 16, 2014]
[Presentation 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf)]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on April 9. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 438 and 567 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 130.9 (decreasing 16.8 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 151.4. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 4 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 3.9). Three hour interval K indices: 00112111 (planetary), 01222221 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B8 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 13 active regions in 2K resolution (SN: 202) and 10 active regions in 1K resolution (SN: 129) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12026 [S10W58] decayed quickly and quietly.
Region 12027 [N13W48] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12029 [N18W66] decayed with only penumbra spots remaining.
Region 12030 [N11W31] decayed further and was quiet.
Region 12031 [N02W62] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12032 [N12E53] was quiet and stable.
New region 12033 [N12E62] was numbered by SWPC, however, it is uncertain if this is a region on its own or part of AR 12032. The proximity of the two ARs and the lack of a trailing polarity area for AR 12033 indicate a single region.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3302 [S15W24] was quiet and stable.
S3305 [N11E13] reemerged with penumbra spots.
S3308 [S02E09] decayed slowly and quietly.
S3309 [S19E01] was quiet and stable.
S3310 [S14E28] was quiet and stable.
New region S3311 [S09E48] was observed with a penumbra spot.

An active region at the southeast limb will likely rotate into view today, the region produced long duration low level C flares during the day.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

April 7-9: No obviously 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

An extension of a southern hemisphere coronal hole (CH610) rotated across the central meridian on April 8 but was likely too far to the south to become geoeffective.

Coronal hole map

Propagation

Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over 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 on April 10-12.

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: 0-30% probability, Yellow: 30-70% probability, Red: 70-100% probability.

Active solar regions

(Click on image for 2K resolution) Compare to the previous day's image. 0.5K image

When available the active region map has a coronal hole polarity overlay where red (pink) is negative and blue 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 Magnetic
(SDO)
SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
12026 2014.03.30 9 12 4 S10W58 0030 CRI BXO

 

12027 2014.03.30
2014.03.31
3 5 2 N13W48 0130 CAO CAO area: 0200
12028 2014.03.31
2014.04.01
      S08W43         plage
12029 2014.04.01 1 4 2 N18W65 0020 HRX AXX area: 0014
12030 2014.04.01 3 4   N12W34 0010 BXO AXX  
S3298 2014.04.03       N07W44           plage
S3300 2014.04.03       S13W05           plage
S3301 2014.04.04       N14E01           plage
S3302 2014.04.04   5 3 S15W24 0015   AXX images/AR_S3302_20140409_2345.png images/AR_S3302_20140408_2345.png  
12031 2014.04.06 4 4 2 N03W64 0030 CAO CRO  
S3304 2014.04.06       S13W17           plage
S3305 2014.04.06   2   N11E13 0005   BXO    
12032 2014.04.07
2014.04.08
4 13 8 N12E54 0150 DSO DSO area: 0280
S3308 2014.04.07   2 1 S02E09 0010   BXO  
S3309 2014.04.07   14 4 S19E01 0030   BXO images/AR_S3309_20140409_2345.png  
S3310 2014.04.08   5 2 S14E28 0013   AXX  
12033 2014.04.09 1 1 1 N12E62 0060   HSX   area: 0150
S3311 2014.04.09   1   S09E48 0003   AXX    
Total spot count: 25 72 29  
Sunspot number: 95 202 129  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 51 90 47  (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): 57 71 71 k * (sunspot number). k = 0.6 for SWPC, k = 0.35 for MSN 2K, k = 0.55 for MSN 1K (MSN=Magnetic Sunspot Number)

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average solar flux International sunspot number
(WDC-SILSO)
Smoothed sunspot number Average ap
(3)
Measured 1 AU
2013.01 127.1 123.1 62.9 58.7 (-0.9) 4.69
2013.02 104.3 101.8 38.0 58.4 (-0.3) 6.11
2013.03 111.3 110.2 57.9 57.5 (-0.9) 10.56
2013.04 124.8 125.9 72.4 57.9 (+0.4) 5.40
2013.05 131.4 134.3 78.7 59.9 (+2.0) 9.73
2013.06 110.1 113.7 52.5 62.6 (+2.7) 12.60
2013.07 115.5 119.3 57.0 65.5 (+2.9) 9.47
2013.08 114.6 118.3 66.0 69.0 (+3.5) 8.27
2013.09 102.6 103.7 36.9 73.1 (+4.1) 5.23
2013.10  132.1 131.2 85.6 (74.9 projected, +1.8) 7.71
2013.11  148.3 145.1 77.6 (74.9 projected, -0.0) 5.68
2013.12 147.7 143.1 90.3 (74.4 projected, -0.5) 4.68
2014.01 157.4 152.4 82.0 (74.3 projected, -0.1) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.8 (cycle peak) (73.7 projected, -0.6) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 92.2 (73.8 projected, +0.1) 4.88
2014.04 144.8 (1)   38.0 (2A) / 126.7 (2B) / 107.8 (2C) (73.0 projected, -0.8) (5.9)

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 WDC-SILSO international sunspot number is typically 30-50% lower. 2B) Boulder SN current month average to date. 2C) STAR SDO 1K Wolf number 30 day average.
3) Running average based on the quicklook and definitive Potsdam WDC ap indices. Values in red are based on the definitive international GFZ Potsdam WDC ap indices.

This report has been prepared by Jan Alvestad. It is based on the 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.