Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on April 24, 2014 at 05:25 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 April 17, 2014]
[Presentation 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf)]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on April 23. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 367 and 468 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 136.1 (decreasing 8.7 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 154.3. 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: 11121222 (planetary), 11222312 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B5 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 14 active regions in 2K resolution (SN: 237) and 12 active regions in 1K resolution (SN: 168) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12035 [S16W84] decayed slowly and produced a C4.9 flare, the most energetic event of the day.
Region 12038 [S11W47] decayed slowly and produced a C4 flare.
Region 12042 [N17W26] was quiet and stable.
Region 12044 [S21E01] developed significantly and was mostly quiet.
Region 12045 [S24E24] was quiet and stable.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3339 [N10W15] was quiet and stable.
S3343 [S16W21] was quiet and stable.
S3347 [S12W83] produced many low level C flares as it rotated to the southwest limb.
New region S3349 [N20E19] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S3350 [S16E03] emerged near the southern tip of CH613 with penumbra spots.
New region S3351 [N16W33] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3352 [S17W62] emerged with several spots.
New region S3353 [N10E08] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3354 [S10W08] was observed with penumbra spots.

Flares (SDO/EVE):

Magnitude Time (UTC) Location AR
C1.7 00:15 N03W90 12034
C4.4 01:06 S12W35 12038
C1.3 02:43 S12W82 S3347
C1.0 03:18 S13W78 S3347
C1.1 03:37 S12W82 S3347
C1.2 04:04 S12W82 S3347
C1.0 04:32 S12W82 S3347
C1.2 05:38 S13W79 S3347
C1.1 07:37 S12W82 S3347
C1.5 08:44 N03W90 12034
C2.2 12:21 S12W90 S3347
C4.9 13:07 S16W90 12035
C1.6 20:42 S14W90 S3347
C3.0 23:53 S21W90  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

April 21-23: 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

A southern hemisphere coronal hole (CH613) will likely rotate into an Earth facing position on April 24-25.

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 24-26. Quiet to unsettled conditions are likely on April 27-28 due to effects from CH613.

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
12035 2014.04.10
2014.04.11
9 1 1 S13W85 0390 EKC HAX area: 0140

real location: S16W84

SWPC failed to observe AR S3347

12040 2014.04.13
2014.04.15
      N15W84           plage
12038 2014.04.14
2014.04.15
15 20 10 S11W47 0110 DAI DAI

 

S3323 2014.04.14       S19W51         plage
12042 2014.04.16 11 10 6 N17W24 0180 CSO CSO area: 0210
12044 2014.04.18
2014.04.19
7 22 11 S18E04 0030 CRO DAI area: 0080

location: S21E01

12045 2014.04.18
2014.04.19
13 15 5 S24E23 0100 DAO CSO

area: 0150

S3338 2014.04.18       S09W51           plage
S3339 2014.04.19   6 3 N10W15 0020   BXO  
S3341 2014.04.19       S09W04           plage
S3343 2014.04.20   2   S16W21 0006   AXX images/AR_S3343_20140422_2345.png  
S3345 2014.04.20       N10E09           plage
S3346 2014.04.20       N18W48           plage
S3347 2014.04.20   4 3 S12W83 0300   DAO  
S3348 2014.04.21       S20E15         plage
S3349 2014.04.23   2 2 N20E19 0007   BXO    
S3350 2014.04.23   3 2 S16E03 0007   BXO    
S3351 2014.04.23   1 1 N16W33 0003   AXX    
S3352 2014.04.23   6 3 S17W62 0025   CRO    
S3353 2014.04.23   1   N10E08 0002   AXX    
S3354 2014.04.23   4 1 S10W08 0012   AXX    
Total spot count: 55 97 48  
Sunspot number: 105 237 168  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 83 130 81  (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): 63 83 92 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 (75.3 projected, +2.1) 7.71
2013.11  148.3 145.1 77.6 (76.3 projected, +1.0) 5.68
2013.12 147.7 143.1 90.3 (77.3 projected, +1.0) 4.68
2014.01 157.4 152.4 82.0 (78.3 projected, +1.0) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.8 (cycle peak) (78.1 projected, -0.2) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 92.2 (78.5 projected, +0.4) 4.88
2014.04 150.4 (1)   112.3 (2A) / 146.4 (2B) / 107.6 (2C) (77.7 projected, -0.8) (8.0)

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.