Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on February 26, 2015 at 05:05 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update February 1, 2015)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update February 1, 2015) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update February 1, 2015)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update February 1, 2015)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update February 1, 2015)]

[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 February 21, 2015]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on February 25. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 421 and 489 km/s under the influence of a low to medium high speed stream from CH655.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 111.0 (decreasing 60.8 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 141.4. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 6 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 6.5). Three hour interval K indices: 11323210 (planetary), 1233331* (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B3 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 5 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 107) and 4 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 63) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12289 [S12W16] was quiet and stable.
Region 12290 [N20W21] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12292 [S10E16] was quiet and stable.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4227 [N16W38] was quiet and stable.
S4243 [N04E50] decayed slowly and quietly.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
         

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

February 23-25: 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 southern hemisphere coronal hole (CH655) was in an Earth facing position on February 19-21. A small coronal hole (CH656) in the northern hemisphere rotated across the central meridian on February 22-23.

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 mostly quiet on February 26-27. A co-rotating interaction region associated with an extension of the southern polar coronal hole could cause unsettled and active intervals on February 28 - March 2.

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
S4227 2015.02.17   5 2 N16W38 0010   BXO  
12287 2015.02.17
2015.02.18
5     N14W72 0010 AXX     spotless

what did SWPC observe?

12289 2015.02.17
2015.02.18
2 9 3 S10W23 0010 BXO BXO images/AR_12289_20150225_2345.png images/AR_12289_20150224_2345.png location: S10W16

area: 0030

S4231 2015.02.17       N10W54            
12290 2015.02.18 15 24 13 N19W22 0070 DAO DRI  
S4232 2015.02.18       S09W38            
S4234 2015.02.18       N18W53            
S4236 2015.02.20       S20W55            
S4239 2015.02.21       S21W04          
12291 2015.02.21
2015.02.22
      N13W42            
12292 2015.02.22
2015.02.23
2 15 5 S08E25 0010 AXX BXO area: 0030

location: S12E16

S4243 2015.02.23   4   N04E50 0005   AXX  
Total spot count: 24 57 23  
Sunspot number: 64 107 63  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 29 60 26  (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): 38 37 35 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
2013.09 102.6 103.7 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 80.5 (-1.4) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 79.7 (-0.8) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 72.5 78.6 (-1.1) 4.50
2014.08 124.7 127.9 74.7 (76.2 projected, -2.4) 7.71
2014.09 146.6 148.1 87.6 (73.0 projected, -3.2) 9.78
2014.10 153.4 152.9 60.6 (70.5 projected, -2.5) 8.96
2014.11 154.8 151.4 70.1 (68.8 projected, -1.7) 9.33
2014.12 158.7 153.8 78.0 (67.7 projected, -1.1) 11.24
2015.01 141.9 137.3 67.0 (66.5 projected, -1.2) 9.46
2015.02 130.5 (1)   64.7 (2A) / 72.4 (2B) / 73.0 (2C) (64.9 projected, -1.6) (9.7)

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.