Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on August 23, 2015 at 05:45 UT.

Charts (* = updated daily) Data and archive
  Solar wind (*) Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (*)
  Electron fluence (*) Archived daily reports and monthly data from 2003.01 (August 1, 2015)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-24 (August 1, 2015) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24 progress (August 1, 2015) Noon SDO sunspot count 1K Reference: 4K (large file) (*)
  Solar cycles 1-24 (July 17, 2015) POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012
  Comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (August 1, 2015) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (August 1, 2015) 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014
  Solar polar fields vs solar cycles (August 18, 2015)  

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on August 22. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 345 and 408 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 116.9 (increasing 19.9 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 113.7. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 7 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 7.4). Three hour interval K indices: 21123222 (planetary), 22233222 (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 5 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 140) and 4 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 100) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12403 [S16E10] developed quickly in the trailing spot section where a magnetic delta formed. Decay was observed in the central spot section. A major flare, maybe even an X class flare is possible.
Region 12404 [N14W02] was quiet and stable.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4700 [S19W29] was quiet and stable.
New region S4703 [N15E44] was observed with a penumbra spot.
New region S4704 [S22E22] emerged with a few penumbra spots to the southeast of AR 12403.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Recorded by Comment
C2.0 00:26 S15E22 12403 GOES15  
C5.1 06:33 S14E24 12403 GOES15  
M1.2/1B 06:49 S15E20 12403 GOES15 small partial halo CME
C6.7/1F 08:43 S14E19 12403 GOES15  
C5.1 09:21   12403 GOES15  
C6.3 10:25   12403 GOES15  
C3.4 11:34 S15E18 12403 GOES15  
M2.0/1N 13:22   12403 SDO/EVE missing in SWPC event data
C2.2 14:31 S15E19 12403 GOES15  
C2.2 18:57   12403 GOES15  
C2.6 20:41   12403 SDO/EVE  
M3.5/1B 21:24 S15E15 12403 GOES15  
C3.7 21:57   12403 SDO/EVE  
C2.7 23:29   12403 GOES15  

Flare activity (SDO/EVE/ESP XRS-B proxy)

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

August 20: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed.
August 21: A southward directed CME was observed in LASCO imagery after an M1.4/2B event in AR 12403. There is a slight chance that the CME could have Earth directed components.
August 22: The M1.2 flare early in the day may have been associated with a very small and weak CME. Only faint emissions were observed over the south pole in LASCO imagery, no halo or partial halo was observable.

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 (CH684) was in an Earth facing position on August 19-20. Another recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH685) will likely rotate across the central meridian on August 24.

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.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active on August 23-24 due to effects from CH684 and mostly quiet on August 25-26. Quiet to active conditions are possible on August 27-28 when a high speed stream associated with CH685 becomes geoeffective. This forecast could easily change if a major flare occurs in AR 12403.

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 overlays
Comment
SWPC Magnetic
(SDO)
SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
12401 2015.08.12
2015.08.13
      S11W72          
S4690 2015.08.14       N09W36            
12403 2015.08.17
2015.08.18
49 74 49 S14E09 0400 EKC EKC beta-gamma-delta

area: 0870

12404 2015.08.19
2015.08.20
3 11 9 N14W01 0020 CRO CRO  
S4700 2015.08.21   1 1 S16W19 0002   AXX  
S4701 2015.08.21       S22W45          
S4703 2015.08.22   1   N15E44 0002   AXX    
S4704 2015.08.22   3 1 S22E22 0008   AXX    
Total spot count: 52 90 60  
Sunspot number: 72 140 100  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 65 103 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): 79 77 85 k * (sunspot number)
As of July 1, 2015: k = 1.1 for SWPC, k = 0.55 for MSN 2K, k = 0.85 for MSN 1K (MSN=Magnetic Sunspot Number)

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average solar flux International sunspot number
(WDC-SILSO) (4)
Smoothed sunspot number (4) Average ap
(3)
Measured 1 AU
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 146.1 (cycle peak) 110.5 (+1.2) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 128.7 114.3 (+3.8) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 112.5 116.4 (+2.1) (solar max) 7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 112.5 115.0 (-1.4) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 102.9 114.1 (-0.9) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 100.2 112.6 (-1.5) 4.50
2014.08 124.7 127.9 106.9 108.3 (-4.3) 7.71
2014.09 146.6 148.1 130.0 101.9 (-6.4) 9.78
2014.10 153.4 152.9 90.0 97.4 (-4.5) 8.96
2014.11 154.8 151.4 103.6 95.0 (-2.4) 9.33
2014.12 158.7 153.8 112.9 92.6 (-2.4) 11.24
2015.01 141.9 137.3 93.0 89.8 (-2.8) 9.46
2015.02 129.1 126.0 66.7 (86.8 projected, -3.0) 9.92
2015.03 125.9 124.6 54.5 (83.1 projected, -3.7) 16.14
2015.04 128.8 129.7 78.0 (79.8 projected, -3.3) 10.73
2015.05 120.0 122.6 90.0 (77.4 projected, -2.4) 8.29
2015.06 122.3 126.1 68.3 (73.9 projected, -3.5) 13.15
2015.07 107.0 110.8 66.4 (70.2 projected, -3.7) 8.83
2015.08 (103.6)   44.8 (2A) / 63.1 (2B) / 75.5 (2C) (69.0 projected, -1.2) (11.8)

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).
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.
4) Updated to new data set from WDC-SILSO on July 1, 2015

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 Universal Time. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

SDO images are courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.