Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on November 9, 2014 at 07:55 UTC.

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

[Noon SDO sunspot count 1K Reference: 4K (large file) (updated daily)]

[POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated October 11, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on November 8. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 440 and 546 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 132.0 (increasing 21.2 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 141.8. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 7 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 6.6). Three hour interval K indices: 11122213 (planetary), 11232323 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B7 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 14 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 271) and 10 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 164) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12201 [S05W62] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Region 12203 [N13W87] was quiet and stable.
Region 12204 [N04W44] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12205 [N13E18] still has multiple magnetic deltas, the largest one is strong with poor separation between opposite polarity umbrae. Another X class flare is possible.
Region 12206 [S15W03] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region 12207 [S09E67] rotated into view on November 7 and was numbered by SWPC the next day.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3963 [S23E20] gained a few spots and was quiet.
S3964 [S14E09] developed slowly and quietly.
S3973 [N19E48] was quiet and stable.
New region S3975 [N16W74] emerged quickly with several spots.
New region S3976 [S11E87] rotated partly into view. This region could produce C and perhaps M class flares.
New region S3977 [S13E40] was observed with penumbra spots.
New region S3978 [N25E38] emerged with a tiny penumbra spot.
New region S3979 [N15W27] was observed with a penumbra spot.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
C3.6 15:57 N14E27 12205  
C4.4 (LDE) 17:55 N15E21 12205  
C2.2 18:59 S06W57 12201  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

November 6: A partial halo CME was observed after the M5.4 LDE in AR 12205.
November 7: At least a partial halo CME was observed in association with the X1.6 LDE in AR 12205.
November 8: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO 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]

No obvious coronal holes are currently in or near Earth facing positions.

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 to fair.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on November 9-11 with a possibility of active intervals should any of the CMEs observed on November 6-7 reach Earth.

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
12200 2014.10.28
2014.10.30
      S17W78           plage
12201 2014.10.29
2014.10.30
3 5 2 S05W62 0020 BXO BXO

 

12204 2014.10.31
2014.11.01
2 3 2 N06W30 0010 AXX AXX  
12203 2014.10.31
2014.11.01
1 1   N13W84 0020 HSX HSX

area: 0110

location: N13W87

S3957 2014.11.01       S23W50           plage
12205 2014.11.03 35 80 46 N15E18 0310 EKC EKC beta-gamma-delta

location: N13E18

S3960 2014.11.03       S07W06           plage
S3961 2014.11.03       S07W20           plage
12206 2014.11.04   3 1 S15W04 0007   AXX  
S3963 2014.11.04   8 3 S23E20 0010   AXX  
S3964 2014.11.04   14 4 S14E09 0030   BXO  
S3965 2014.11.04       N11W16           plage
S3970 2014.11.07       S05E41         plage
S3971 2014.11.07       S09E48         plage
12207 2014.11.07
2014.11.08
1 1 1 S08E64 0040 HAX HAX area: 0070

location: S09E67

S3973 2014.11.07   3 1 N19E48 0008   AXX  
S3974 2014.11.07       N18W11         plage
S3975 2014.11.08   6 3 N16W74 0040   DRO    
S3976 2014.11.08   3 1 S11E87 0060   HAX    
S3977 2014.11.08   2   S13E40 0005   AXX    
S3978 2014.11.08   1   N25E38 0001   AXX    
S3979 2014.11.08   1   N15W27 0002   AXX    
Total spot count: 42 131 64  
Sunspot number: 92 271 164  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 62 159 92  (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): 55 95 90 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
2013.07 115.5 119.3 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 77.3 (+1.3) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.3 (cycle peak) 78.4 (+1.1) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 91.9 80.8 (+2.4) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 81.9 (+1.1)
(likely solar max)
7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (80.3 projected, -1.6) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 (78.7 projected, -1.6) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 72.5 (77.1 projected, -1.6) 4.50
2014.08 124.7 127.9 74.7 (74.7 projected, -3.0) 7.71
2014.09 146.6 148.1 87.6 (71.5 projected, -3.2) 9.78
2014.10 153.4 152.9 60.6 (69.0 projected, -2.5) 8.96
2014.11 128.7 (1)   28.4 (2A) / 94.6 (2B) / 82.7 (2C) (67.3 projected, -1.7) (7.9)

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.