Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on July 5, 2022 at 10:35 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 (July 6, 2022)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-25 (July 1, 2022) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24-25 progress (July 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 (July 1, 2022) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12-14, 16, 24-25 (July 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 July 4. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 364 and 513 km/sec. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded unsettled to minor storm levels.

Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 104.4 - increasing 6.0 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 102.94). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 18 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 18.3). Three hour interval K indices: 34433332 (planetary), 35443433 (Boulder), 45322455 (Andenes).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B8 level (GOES 16).

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 10 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 161) and in 10 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 135) SDO/HMI images.

Region 13045 [S10W24] was quiet and stable.
Region 13046 [N18E22] was quiet and stable.
Region 13047 [S19W20] was mostly quiet and stable. The region was the source of a C9.88 flare at 04:07 UT on July 5.
Region 13049 [S12E38] was quiet and stable gaining a trailing spot.
New region 13050 [N18E30] emerged on July 2 with SWPC numbering the region on July 4 as slow decay was observed. C1 flares: C1.0 @ 11:54, C1.2 @ 12:29 UT.
New region 13051 [N27E27] emerged on July 2 with SWPC waiting 2 days to assign the region a number.

Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
New region S7677 [N15E69] emerged with several spots.
New region S7678 [S15E09] emerged with a tiny spot.
New region S7679 [N14E84] rotated partly into view with a large spot. M class flares are possible. C1 flares: C1.0 @ 22:26 and C1.1 @ 22:45 UT. The region was the source of a C5.8 flare at 03:47 UT on July 5.
New region S7680 [S32E22] emerged with tiny spots in an old plage area.

AR 13040 produced a C1.2 flare at 12:29 UT from behind the southwest limb, this flare was incorrectly attributed to AR 13050 by SWPC.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UT) Location Source Recorded by Comment
C5.1/1F 13:33 N19E36 13050 GOES16  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

July 2-4: 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 large northern hemisphere coronal hole (CH1086) was in an Earth facing position on July 2-4.

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 poor to fair.

Forecast

Quiet to minor storm conditions are likely on July 5-7 due to effects from CH1086.

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
13044 2022.06.27
2022.06.28
      S21W69           location: S19W66
13043 2022.06.27
2022.06.28
      S15W57         location: S14W54
13045 2022.06.28
2022.06.30
1 4 3 S15W23 0020 AXX AXX location: S10W24

area: 0010

S7664 2022.06.29       S27W41            
13046 2022.06.30
2022.07.01
1 4 2 N18E21 0070 HSX CSO area: 0130

location: N18E22

13047 2022.06.30
2022.07.02
9 20 8 S19W20 0030 BXO CRI  
13048 2022.07.01
2022.07.02
      S08E08          
13049 2022.07.01
2022.07.03
1 3 2 S12E35 0010 AXX CRO location: S12E38
S7670 2022.07.01       N16W34            
S7671 2022.07.01       S32W04            
13051 2022.07.02
2022.07.04
3 15 9 N27E27 0030 CRO DRO area: 0050
13050 2022.07.02
2022.07.04
4 6 3 N18E30 0020 BXO BXO area: 0012
S7674 2022.07.02       S23W11            
S7676 2022.07.03       N21W54          
S7677 2022.07.04   5 4 N15E69 0040   DRO    
S7678 2022.07.04   1 1 S15E09 0003   AXX    
S7679 2022.07.04   1 1 N14E84 0280   HKX    
S7680 2022.07.04   2 1 S32E22 0003   AXX  

 

Total spot count: 19 61 34  
Sunspot number: 79 161 134  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 27 88 61  (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): 87 89 107  

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
2020.12 86.9 84.2 23.1 15.3 (+1.7) 4.72
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 31.3 (+3.7) 5.51
2021.08 77.7 79.7 22.0 35.3 (+4.0) 6.19
2021.09 87.0 88.2 51.3 40.0 (+4.7) 6.33
2021.10 88.9 88.3 37.4 45.0 (+5.0) 7.38
2021.11 86.2 84.4 34.8 50.6 (+5.6) 9.83
2021.12 103.0 99.8 67.5 55.7 (+5.1) 6.40
2022.01 103.8 100.5 54.0 (59.5 projected, +3.8) 8.92
2022.02 109.1 106.5 59.7 (65.1 projected, +5.6) 10.46
2022.03 117.0 115.8 78.5 (70.5 projected, +5.4) 10.20
2022.04 130.8 131.7 84.1 (75.7 projected, +5.2) 11.79
2022.05 133.8 136.8 96.5 (82.2 projected, +6.5) 7.48
2022.06 116.1 119.8 70.6 (88.1 projected, +5.9) 8.4
2022.07 101.2 (1)   7.0 (2A) / 54.3 (2B) / 97.3 (2C) (95.3 projected, +7.2) (11.8)
2022.08       (101.9 projected, +6.6)  
2022.09       (106.9 projected, +5.0)  
2022.10       (110.1 projected, +3.2)  
2022.11       (112.9 projected, +2.8)  
2022.12       (117.7 projected, +4.8)  
2023.11       (141.4 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.