Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on November 21, 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 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 20. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 360 and 436 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 168.1 (decreasing 49.7 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 146.9 - the highest since May 22, 2014). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 9 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 8.9). Three hour interval K indices: 32222123 (planetary), 32232221 (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 9 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 194) and 6 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 113) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12208 [S10W81] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12209 [S14W12] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet. There is still a magnetic delta in the eastern part of the largest penumbra as well. A major flare is possible.
Region 12214 [S12E06] was quiet and stable.
Region 12215 [N09E11] reemerged with a penumbra spot.
New region 12216 [S12E68] rotated into view on November 19 and was numbered the next day by SWPC. An M class flare is possible.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4000 [S04W40] decayed slowly and quietly.
S4002 [N04W12] was quiet and stable.
S4008 [N12E59] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region S4010 [N17W05] emerged with a penumbra spot.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
C7.6 06:41   12216  
C2.5 19:56 S12W08 12209  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

November 18-20: 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 to fair. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is fair.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active on November 21 due to effects from CH643 and quiet on November 22-23.

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
12208 2014.11.08
2014.11.09
2 2   S11W82 0010 BXO AXX  
12210 2014.11.10
2014.11.13
      N05W72            
12209 2014.11.12 24 68 36 S16W16 0970 FKO EKC beta-gamma-delta

location: S14W12

area: 1400

S3985 2014.11.12       S07W39           plage
12212 2014.11.12
2014.11.14
      N16W68           plage
12213 2014.11.14
2014.11.15
      S08W42           plage
S3990 2014.11.14       S11W53           plage
S3993 2014.11.15       N24W55           plage
12214 2014.11.15
2014.11.16
3 14 7 S12E06 0010 BXO BXO  
12215 2014.11.15
2014.11.17
1 1 1 N09E10 0010 AXX AXX    
S3997 2014.11.16       N22W34           plage
S3998 2014.11.16       N02W03           plage
S4000 2014.11.17   3   S04W40 0005   AXX  
S4002 2014.11.18   3 1 N04W12 0007   AXX  
S4003 2014.11.18       N17W28           plage
S4004 2014.11.18       N03W38           plage
S4005 2014.11.18       S08W54           plage
S4006 2014.11.19       S28W45         plage
12216 2014.11.19
2014.11.20
3 10 7 S13E68 0360 DKO DKC area: 0910
S4008 2014.11.19   1 1 N12E59 0004   AXX  
S4010 2014.11.20   1   N17W05     AXX    
Total spot count: 33 104 53  
Sunspot number: 83 194 113  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 53 124 73  (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): 50 68 62 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
2014.11 145.8 (1)   60.9 (2A) / 91.4 (2B) / 86.3 (2C) (67.3 projected, -1.7) (10.5)

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.