Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on November 27, 2014 at 05:30 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 very quiet on November 26. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 274 and 370 km/s.

Solar flux at 18h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 170.9 (increasing 30.5 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 149.0 - the highest since May 17, 2014). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 3 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 3.0). Three hour interval K indices: 11111001 (planetary), 11122221 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class C1 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 13 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 295) and 9 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 179) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12209 [S17W85] rotated partly out of view and was quiet.
Region 12216 [S13W12] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12217 [S19E29] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Region 12218 [N15E42] gained trailing penumbra spots and was quiet.
Region 12219 [N04W07] developed further and could produce an M class flare.
Region 12220 [S17E02] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region 12221 [N04E70] rotated into view on November 25 and was numbered the next day by SWPC.
New region 12222 [S20E71] rotated into view and was the most active region on the visible disk. The region appears to have a small magnetic delta. A minor M class flare is possible.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4029 [N12W18] was quiet and stable.
New region S4035 [S24E59] emerged during the latter half of the day with a few spots.
New region S4036 [N17E00] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S4037 [N12E22] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S4038 [S28E02] was observed with a penumbra spot.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
C2.9 06:17 S18E42 12217  
C2.8 15:46   12222  
C2.6 18:04   12222  
C3.2 22:26 S20E72 12222  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

November 24-26: 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]

A recurrent northern hemisphere coronal hole (CH644) was in an Earth facing position on November 25-26. The development of AR 12219 reduced the southernmost extension of this CH.

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 mostly quiet on November 27-29 with a chance of unsettled intervals on November 28 due to weak effects from CH644.

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
12209 2014.11.12 5 1   S16W91 0300 HKX HAX  
12214 2014.11.15
2014.11.16
      S12W75            
12215 2014.11.15
2014.11.17
      N09W73           plage
12216 2014.11.19
2014.11.20
23 36 19 S14W10 0280 DKI DKI

area: 0370

S4008 2014.11.19       N21W17           plage
S4012 2014.11.21       S03W33           plage
12217 2014.11.22
2014.11.23
26 39 19 S20E29 0120 EAI DAI area: 0200
S4016 2014.11.22       N12W05           plage
S4017 2014.11.22       N05W36         plage
S4020 2014.11.23       N14E35         plage
12218 2014.11.23 2 5 2 N15E38 0140 CSO CSO location: N15E42

area: 0220

S4023 2014.11.23       N02W17           plage
12219 2014.11.24 23 39 23 N05W08 0030 DRI DKC beta-gamma

area: 0380

12220 2014.11.24 6 5 4 S16E01 0010 BXO CRO  
S4028 2014.11.24       S05E18           plage
S4029 2014.11.24   2 1 N12W18 0005   BXO  
S4030 2014.11.24       N00W24           plage
12221 2014.11.25
2014.11.26
4 17 8 N04E70 0030 DRO DAC area: 0200
S4033 2014.11.25       S08W00         plage
12222 2014.11.26 1 23 9 S20E70 0030 HRX DAI   beta-gamma-delta?

area: 0100

S4035 2014.11.26   5 4 S24E59 0020   CRO    
S4036 2014.11.26   1   N17E00 0002   AXX    
S4037 2014.11.26   1   N12E22 0002   AXX    
S4038 2014.11.26   1   S28E02 0002   AXX    
Total spot count: 90 175 89  
Sunspot number: 170 305 179  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 129 226 135  (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): 102 107 98 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
2014.11 151.1 (1)   80.9 (2A) / 93.3 (2B) / 83.6 (2C) (67.3 projected, -1.7) (9.6)

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.