Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on October 24, 2014 at 05:45 UTC. Updates will be irregular until October 27.

[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 October 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update October 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update October 1, 2014)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update October 10, 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 October 23. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 409 and 460 km/s under the influence of a high speed stream from CH640.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 227 (increasing 57 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 139.7. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 8 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 7.5). Three hour interval K indices: 12222232 (planetary), 12333342 (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 12 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 338) and 11 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 228) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12187 [S09W81] was quiet and stable.
Region 12192 [S14W03] gained a few spots, however some penumbral area was lost in the central southern section. The region isn't quite as compact as it was a couple of days ago and there isn't any strong magnetic delta structure. Several small magnetic deltas are visible, most notable in the trailing section of the region. Another X class flare is still possible.
Region 12193 [N04W45] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12194 [S12E32] was quiet and stable.
Region 12195 [N08E60] was quiet and stable.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3921 [N14W19] was quiet and stable.
S3925 [S17W36] was quiet and stable.
S3928 [S11W55] reemerged with penumbra spots.
S3930 [N08E31] was quiet and stable.
New region S3932 [N03E03] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3933 [S12E78] rotated into view.
New region S3934 [S03E80] rotated into view.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
C3.7 04:30   12192  
M1.1/1F 09:50 S16E03 12192  
C4.6 15:39 S09E02 12192  
C5.9/1F 17:52 S09E02 12192  
C3.3 19:15 S21E05 12192  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

October 21-23: 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 recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH640) was in an Earth facing position on October 19-22.

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 good.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on October 24-25 due to effects from CH640 and quiet on October 26.

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
12187 2014.10.11 1 1 1 S09W81 0110 HSX HHX area: 0280
S3900 2014.10.13       N03W57           plage
12191 2014.10.14
2014.10.15
      S11W66         plage
12190 2014.10.14       N22W65           plage
S3910 2014.10.16       S17W45           plage
12192 2014.10.16
2014.10.17
58 166 92 S14W06 2740 FKC FKC beta-gamma-delta

location: S14W03

area: 3300

S3914 2014.10.16       N05W39           plage
S3915 2014.10.17       S24W47           plage
12193 2014.10.18
2014.10.19
8 10 5 N06W45 0100 DAO CSO  
S3921 2014.10.19   4 3 N14W19 0012   BXO  
12194 2014.10.19
2014.10.21
2 8 4 S12E32 0070 CSO DAO area: 0160
S3925 2014.10.21   4   S17W36 0006   AXX  
12195 2014.10.21
2014.10.22
7 18 8 N07E59 0070 DSO DAI area: 0110
S3928 2014.10.21   2 1 S11W55 0007   AXX    
S3930 2014.10.22   2 1 N08E31 0006   BXO  
S3931 2014.10.22       N13W13         plage
S3932 2014.10.23   1 1 N03E03 0005   AXX    
S3933 2014.10.23   1 1 S12E78 0010   HRX    
S3934 2014.10.23   1 1 S03E80 0060   HSX    
Total spot count: 76 218 118  
Sunspot number: 126 338 228  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 106 261 161  (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): 76 118 125 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
2013.06 110.1 113.7 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 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 (82.7 projected, +1.9) 7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (82.3 projected, -0.4) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 (81.1 projected, -1.2) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 72.5 (79.4 projected, -1.7) 4.50
2014.08 124.7 127.9 74.7 (77.1 projected, -2.3) 7.71
2014.09 146.2   87.6 (73.8 projected, -3.3) 9.78
2014.10 145.0 (1)   62.9 (2A) / 84.7 (2B) / 88.1 (2C) (71.4 projected, -2.4) (8.6)

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.