Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on July 8, 2014 at 05:50 UTC.

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

[POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated June 4, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on July 7. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 274 and 335 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 197.9 (increasing 31.7 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 137.6. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 7 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 7.3). Three hour interval K indices: 21122322 (planetary), 11112322 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B9 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 19 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 386) and 18 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 292) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12102 [N14W49] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Region 12103 [S14W72] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12104 [S12W40] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12106 [N15W33] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12107 [S19W27] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12108 [S07W12] still has a weak magnetic delta structure in the northwestern part of the large trailing penumbra and could produce a major flare.
Region 12109 [S08E07] displayed only minor changes. A major flare is still possible.
Region 12110 [S16W07] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12111 [N06E24] was quiet and stable.
Region 12113 [N08E64] developed slowly and quietly. The region has minor polarity intermixing.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3609 [S13W32] was quiet and stable.
S3620 [N07W24] developed slowly and quietly.
S3621 [S21W37] was quiet and stable.
S3622 [S22E25] developed slowly and quietly.
S3623 [S18E13] decayed slowly and quietly.
S3625 [N06W41] decayed slowly and quietly.
S3626 [S08W68] decayed slowly and was quiet.
New region S3628 [S20E80] rotated into view.
New region S3629 [S07W27] emerged with a penumbra spot.

C2+ Flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR
C2.6 07:34 N16W38 12102
C4.3 08:02 S08E20 12109
C2.3 18:21   12102

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

July 5-7: 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 trans equatorial coronal hole (CH626) was in an Earth facing position on July 5.

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. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on July 8-9 with a chance of unsettled intervals due to possible effects from CH626. On July 10 quiet conditions are likely.

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
12100 2014.06.25
2014.06.27
      N10W82        

plage

12103 2014.06.26
2014.06.28
3 1 1 S08W68 0010 BXO AXX SWPC has, for unexplicable reasons, moved AR 12103 to the location of AR S3626, despite the existence of a spot in AR 12103

real location: S14W72

12102 2014.06.27
2014.06.28
2 6 1 N11W51 0000 AXX BXO

area: 0013

location: N14W49

12104 2014.06.28 9 22 8 S12W40 0190 DSO DAO area: 0260
12107 2014.06.28
2014.06.29
6 8 3 S20W30 0210 CSO CHO images/AR_12107_20140706_2345.png  

area: 0270

location: S19W27

S3590 2014.06.28       S23W42           plage
12105 2014.06.28
2014.06.29
      S05W87           plage
12106 2014.06.29 4 16 9 N14W33 0080 HAX CAO images/AR_12106_20140706_2345.png area: 0160
12108 2014.06.30
2014.07.01
29 42 26 S08W12 0720 EKC EKC beta-gamma-delta

area: 1300

location: S07W12

S3599 2014.06.30       N02W50           plage
12109 2014.07.01
2014.07.02
22 41 28 S10E09 0620 EKC DKC beta-gamma-delta

area: 1010

location: S08E07

12110 2014.07.02
2014.07.03
4 7 6 S16W07 0010 BXO BXO area: 0020
S3609 2014.07.02   3 1 S13W32 0007   AXX  
12111 2014.07.03
2014.07.04
4 6 4 N06E24 0060 HSX HSX area: 0090
12112 2014.07.04
2014.07.05
2     S15W71 0000 AXX     spotless

real location: S19W71

SWPC has moved AR 12112 to the location of AR 12103, see AR 12103 comment

S3614 2014.07.04       N06E34         plage
S3615 2014.07.05       S04W41           plage
S3617 2014.07.05       N03W39           plage
S3618 2014.07.05       N17E29         plage
12113 2014.07.06 2 12 4 N07E62 0080 CAO DAO area: 0140

location: N08E64

S3620 2014.07.06   13 8 N07W24 0060   DRO  
S3621 2014.07.06   3 2 S21W37 0007   AXX  
S3622 2014.07.06   6 4 S22E25 0020   BXO  
S3623 2014.07.06   2   S18E13 0004   AXX  
S3624 2014.07.06       N47W22         plage
S3625 2014.07.06   1 1 N06W41 0003   AXX  
S3626 2014.07.06   3 2 S08W68 0015   CRO  
S3627 2014.07.06       N10W16         plage
S3628 2014.07.07   3 3 S20E80 0100   HAX    
S3629 2014.07.07   1 1 S07W27 0006   AXX    
Total spot count: 87 196 112  
Sunspot number: 197 386 292  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 132 262 178  (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): 118 135 161 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
2013.02 104.3 101.8 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 75.0 (+1.9) 7.71
2013.11  148.3 145.1 77.6 75.4 (+0.4) 5.68
2013.12 147.7 143.1 90.3 76.0 (+0.6) 4.68
2014.01 157.4 152.4 81.8 (78.2 projected, +2.2) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.3 (cycle peak) (79.7 projected, +1.5) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 91.9 (80.5 projected, +0.8) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 (79.7 projected, -0.8) 7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (77.1 projected, -2.6) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 (74.5 projected, -2.6) 6.72
2014.07 182.7 (1)   44.4 (2A) / 196.6 (2B) / 98.2 (2C) (71.5 projected, -3.0) (4.3)

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.