Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on November 22, 2014 at 05:15 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 November 22, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to active on November 21. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 351 and 446 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 162.5 (decreasing 56.8 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 147.1 - the highest since May 22, 2014). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 11 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 11.1). Three hour interval K indices: 43222232 (planetary), 34132333 (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 8 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 199) and 6 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 114) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12209 [S14W29] was mostly unchanged and quiet. There is still a magnetic delta in the eastern part of the largest penumbra. A major flare is possible.
Region 12214 [S12W05] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12215 [N08W02] was quiet and stable.
Region 12216 [S12E55] was mostly quiet and unchanged. An M class flare is possible.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4000 [S06W51] was quiet and stable.
S4008 [N15E44] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region S4012 [S03E32] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S4013 [N01W07] emerged with penumbra spots.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
         

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

November 19-21: 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 fair to good.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on November 22 due to lingering coronal hole effects and quiet on November 23-24.

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
12210 2014.11.10
2014.11.13
      N05W87            
12209 2014.11.12 29 67 30 S15W29 0900 FKO FKC beta-gamma-delta

location: S14W24

area: 1400

S3985 2014.11.12       S07W52           plage
12212 2014.11.12
2014.11.14
      N16W82           plage
12213 2014.11.14
2014.11.15
      S08W55           plage
12214 2014.11.15
2014.11.16
2 8 3 S12W05 0010 AXX BXO  
12215 2014.11.15
2014.11.17
  1 1 N09W05 0006   AXX  
S3997 2014.11.16       N22W47           plage
S3998 2014.11.16       N02W16           plage
S4000 2014.11.17   6 2 S06W51 0010   AXX  
S4002 2014.11.18       N04W25          
S4003 2014.11.18       N17W41           plage
S4004 2014.11.18       N03W51           plage
S4006 2014.11.19       S28W58           plage
12216 2014.11.19
2014.11.20
7 31 16 S14E54 0640 DKC DKC area: 0940
S4008 2014.11.19   2   N15E44 2   BXO  
S4010 2014.11.20       N17W18         plage
S4012 2014.11.21   2 2 S03E32 0008   BXO    
S4013 2014.11.21   2   N01W07 0005   AXX    
Total spot count: 38 119 54  
Sunspot number: 68 199 114  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 58 139 74  (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): 41 70 63 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
2014.11 146.6 (1)   63.2 (2A) / 90.2 (2B) / 85.0 (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.