Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on August 12, 2022 at 10:30 UT.

Charts (* = updated daily) Data and archive
  Solar wind (*) Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (*)
  Electron fluence (*) Archived daily reports and monthly data since 2003.01 (August 7, 2022)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-25 (August 1, 2022) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24-25 progress (August 1, 2022) Noon SDO sunspot count 1K image / 4K (*)
  Solar cycles 1-24 (July 1, 2020) POES auroral activity level [October 2009 - December 2012]
  Comparison of cycles 21-25 (August 1, 2022) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12-14, 16, 24-25 (August 1, 2022) 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014
  Solar polar fields vs. solar cycles (April 10, 2022) Cycle 25 spots (final update December 25, 2019)
  Solar cycles 24-25 transition using 365d smoothing Research: Solar Cycle 25 Started on November 17, 2019 with 365 Days Smoothing

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to active on August 11 under the influence of a high speed stream from CH1093. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 496 and 605 km/sec. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded unsettled to major storm levels.

Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 114.8 - decreasing 56.6 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 107.83). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 16 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 16.1). Three hour interval K indices: 22233443 (planetary), 22343433 (Boulder), 54335566 (Andenes).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B3 level (GOES 16).

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 16 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 241) and in 11 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 144) SDO/HMI images.

Region 13071 [S18W48] was quiet and stable.
Region 13074 [S17W10] was quiet and stable.
Region 13075 [N22E08] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 13076 [N15E17] was mostly quiet and stable. C1 flare: C1.1 @ 16:24 UT.
Region 13077 [S18W34] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet. C1 flares: C1.1 @ 06:17 and a C1.2 long duration event peaking at 06:58 UT.
Region 13078 [S23E47] was quiet and stable. The region has reversed polarities.

Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S7752 [N24W43] reemerged with tiny spots.
S7755 [N30W07] reemerged with tiny spots.
S7763 [N30W02] was quiet and stable.
S7764 [N15W54] decayed slowly and quietly.
S7765 [S27W24] decayed slowly and quietly.
S7766 [S08E64] was quiet and stable.
New region S7767 [N17E17] emerged with several spots just north of AR 13076. The 2 regions could merge if there is further development.
New region S7768 [N12E70] rotated into view with tiny spots.
New region S7769 [N20W23] emerged with tiny spots.
New region S7770 [S10E02] emerged with several spots and has development potential.
New region S7771 [S25E41] emerged with a tiny spot.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UT) Location Source Recorded by Comment
           

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

August 9-11: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in available 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 coronal hole (CH1093) formed after a filament eruption in the southeast quadrant and was Earth facing on August 7-8. A recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH1094) will likely rotate across the central meridian on August 14-16.

Propagation

Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over upper middle and high latitudes is poor. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is fair.

Forecast

Quiet to active conditions are likely on August 12 due to effects from CH1093. Quiet is likely on August 13-14.

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). 4K 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 officially numbered solar regions according to the Solar Region Summary provided by NOAA/SWPC, all other regions are numbered sequentially as they emerge using the STAR spot number. 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. SWPC data considered to be not sufficiently precise (location, area, classification) are colored red.

Active region SWPC date numbered
STAR detected
Spot count Location at midnight Area Classification SDO / HMI 4K continuum
image with magnetic polarity overlays
Comment
SWPC/
USAF
Magnetic
(SDO)
SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
13071 2022.08.01
2022.08.03
1 1 1 S17W50 0070 HSX HSX

location: S18W48

area: 0120

13074 2022.08.04
2022.08.05
1 8 3 S17W13 0130 HSX CSO

area: 0160

location: S17W10

13075 2022.08.05
2022.08.07
  8   N18W02 0012   BXO location: N22E05
S7752 2022.08.06   3 2 N24W43 0007   AXX    
13076 2022.08.06
2022.08.07
1 7 2 N13E16 0120 CAO CAO location: N15E17
S7755 2022.08.07   3   N30W07 0005   BXO    
13077 2022.08.07
2022.08.09
4 14 7 S17W37 0040 CAO DRI location: S18W33
S7758 2022.08.08       S29W23            
S7761 2022.08.08       N08W39            
13078 2022.08.09
2022.08.10
1 4 3 S27E45 0080 HSX CAO area: 0040

location: S23E47

S7763 2022.08.09       N30W15          
S7764 2022.08.10   1   N15W54 0001   AXX  
S7765 2022.08.10   1   S27W23 0001   AXX  
S7766 2022.08.10   2 1 S08E64 0004   AXX  
S7767 2022.08.11   15 7 N17E17 0050   DRI    
S7768 2022.08.11   3 1 N12E70 0005   BXO    
S7769 2022.08.11   4 2 N20W23 0010   BXO    
S7770 2022.08.11   6 5 S10E02 0030   DRI    
S7771 2022.08.11   1   S25E41 0001   AXX    
Total spot count: 8 81 34  
Sunspot number: 58 241 144  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 33 110 63  (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): 64 133 115  

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average solar flux International sunspot number
(WDC-SILSO)
Smoothed sunspot number (4) Average ap
(3)
Measured 1 AU
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 146.1 (SC24 peak) 110.5 10.70
2014.04 143.9 144.8 112.5 116.4 (solar max) 7.88
2017.09 91.3 92.3 43.6 18.2 (-1.3) 18.22
(cycle peak)
2019.11 70.2 68.7 0.5 2.0 (-0.6)
(Solar minimum using 365d smoothing:
November 17, 2019)
4.19
2019.12 70.8 68.6 1.6 1.8 (-0.2)
(ISN 13 months smoothed
solar minimum)
3.22
2021.01 76.0 73.6 10.4 17.3 (+2.0) 4.39
2021.02 74.3 72.4 8.2 19.0 (+1.7) 9.50
2021.03 76.0 75.2 17.2 21.7 (+2.7) 10.17
2021.04 75.9 76.4 24.5 24.8 (+3.1) 8.40
2021.05 75.3 77.1 21.2 25.8 (+1.0) 6.50
2021.06 79.4 81.8 25.0 27.6 (+1.8) 5.52
2021.07 81.0 83.6 34.3 31.4 (+3.8) 5.51
2021.08 77.7 79.7 22.0 35.4 (+4.0) 6.19
2021.09 87.0 88.2 51.3 40.2 (+4.8) 6.33
2021.10 88.9 88.3 37.4 45.2 (+5.0) 7.38
2021.11 86.2 84.4 34.8 50.8 (+5.6) 9.83
2021.12 103.0 99.8 67.5 55.9 (+5.1) 6.40
2022.01 103.8 100.5 55.3 60.1 (+4.2) 8.92
2022.02 109.1 106.5 60.9 (65.8 projected, +5.7) 10.46
2022.03 117.0 115.8 78.6 (70.8 projected, +5.0) 10.20
2022.04 130.8 131.7 84.1 (75.9 projected, +5.1) 11.79
2022.05 133.8 136.8 96.5 (82.4 projected, +6.5) 7.48
2022.06 116.1 119.8 70.5 (88.3 projected, +5.9) 8.20
2022.07 125.4 129.5 91.4 (95.5 projected, +7.2) 9.51
2022.08 108.3 (1)   19.7 (2A) / 55.5 (2B) / 95.6 (2C) (102.0 projected, +6.5) (12.0)
2022.09       (106.9 projected, +4.9)  
2022.10       (110.1 projected, +3.2)  
2022.11       (112.9 projected, +2.8)  
2022.12       (117.7 projected, +4.8)  
2023.01       (123.7 projected, +6.0)  
2023.11       (142.5 projected max SC25)  

1) Running average based on the daily 20:00 UTC observed solar flux value at 2800 MHz and any corrections applied to that measurement.
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) Source: SIDC-SILSO.

Solar cycles 24-25

Smoothed SF and sunspot numbers

 

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.