The geomagnetic field was quiet on March 3. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded quiet to active levels. A high speed stream associated with CH1067 began to influence the field after 18h UT.
Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 110.9 - decreasing 18.7 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 86.93). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 5 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 4.8). Three hour interval K indices: 11001122 (planetary), 11112222 (Boulder), 10001143 (Andenes).
The background x-ray flux is at the class B5 level (GOES 16).
At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 10 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 178) and in 7 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 106) SDO/HMI images.
Region 12954 [N17W72] was quiet and stable.
Region 12955 [N15W62] was quiet and stable.
Region 12956 [N28W32] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12957 [S13W01] decayed slowly in the
trailing spot section and was
quiet. This is the original NOAA AR number. On March 3 SWPC split what they
had previously considered as one region and assigned 12961 to this region.
To preserve data consistency and integrity the original numbering is kept.
Region 12958 [N16E11] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet.
New region 12959 [S19E28] emerged on March 2 and was numbered by SWPC
the next day.
New region 12960 [S20E71] rotated partly into view on March 2 and was
numbered the following day by SWPC. The region is developing and could
produce C and M class flares.
Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted
differently) by SWPC:
S7393 [S16E10] developed further producing a
few flares. The region appears to be maturing.
S7398 [S25E12] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region S7402 [S25E29] emerged with a tiny spot.
An active region near the northeast limb produced a C1.2 fløare at 20:48 UT.
C2+ flares:
| Magnitude | Peak time (UT) | Location | Source | Recorded by | Comment |
| C3.3 | 21:55 | 12958 | GOES16 |
March 1-3: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in available LASCO imagery.
[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 (CH1067) was in an Earth facing position on March 1-4.
Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over upper middle and high latitudes is poor to occasionally fair. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor.
The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active on March 4-7 due to effects from CH1067.
| 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.
(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 | ||||||||||
| 12954 | 2022.02.20 2022.02.20 |
1 | 1 | 1 | N17W73 | 0110 | HSX | HSX |
 |
 |
|
| 12955 | 2022.02.20 2022.02.21 |
1 | 1 | 1 | N15W61 | 0100 | HSX | HAX |
 |
 |
|
| 12956 | 2022.02.25 2022.02.27 |
4 | N25W38 | 0005 | BXO |
 |
 |
location: N28W32 |
|||
| 12957 | 2022.02.26 2022.02.27 |
7 | 18 | 6 | S15E13 | 0140 | DSO | CRO |
 |
 |
location: S13W01 area: 0070 Originally AR 12957. SWPC has renumbered the region as AR 12961 |
| 12958 | 2022.02.27 2022.02.28 |
2 | 13 | 5 | N17E11 | 0060 | BXO | BXO |
 |
 |
area: 0025 |
| S7392 | 2022.02.27 | N19W36 |
 |
||||||||
| S7393 | 2022.02.27 | 24 | 14 | S16E10 | 0300 | DSO |
 |
 |
SWPC has this as AR 12957 | ||
| 12961 | 2022.03.03 | 6 | S13E05 | 0040 | CAO | this is originally AR 12957 | |||||
| S7395 | 2022.02.28 | S12W10 | |||||||||
| S7396 | 2022.03.01 | S20W43 | |||||||||
| S7397 | 2022.03.01 | N05W18 | likely SC24 group | ||||||||
| S7398 | 2022.03.01 | 4 | S25E12 | 0005 | AXX |
 |
 |
||||
| 12959 | 2022.03.02 2022.03.03 |
1 | 2 | 1 | S19E23 | 0010 | AXX | HRX |
 |
 |
area: 0005 location: S19E28 |
| 12960 | 2022.03.02 2022.03.03 |
4 | 10 | 8 | S21E67 | 0040 | CAO | EAI |
 |
 |
area: 0260 location: S20E71 |
| S7401 | 2022.03.02 | S31W37 |
 |
||||||||
| S7402 | 2022.03.03 | 1 | S25E29 | 0001 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| Total spot count: | 22 | 78 | 36 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 92 | 178 | 106 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 47 | 106 | 62 | (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): | 101 | 98 | 85 | ||||||||
| 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 |
| 2020.08 | 71.6 | 73.4 | 7.5 | 9.5 (+0.5) | 5.68 |
| 2020.09 | 70.7 | 71.4 | 0.7 | 10.5 (+1.0) | 8.59 |
| 2020.10 | 74.6 | 74.2 | 14.6 | 11.9 (+1.4) | 6.13 |
| 2020.11 | 89.9 | 88.0 | 34.5 | 13.6 (+1.7) | 4.77 |
| 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 | 27.7 (+1.9) | 5.52 |
| 2021.07 | 81.0 | 83.6 | 34.3 | 31.4 (+3.7) | 5.51 |
| 2021.08 | 77.7 | 79.7 | 22.0 | 35.3 (+3.9) | 6.19 |
| 2021.09 | 87.0 | 88.2 | 51.3 | (39.9 projected, +4.6) | 6.33 |
| 2021.10 | 88.9 | 88.3 | 38.1 | (43.6 projected, +3.7) | 7.38 |
| 2021.11 | 86.2 | 84.4 | 35.0 | (48.2 projected, +4.6) | 9.83 |
| 2021.12 | 103.0 | 99.8 | 67.6 | (54.0 projected, +5.8) | 6.40 |
| 2022.01 | 103.8 | 100.5 | 54.0 | (57.7 projected, +3.7) | 8.92 |
| 2022.02 | 109.1 | 106.5 | 59.7 | (62.4 projected, +4.7) | 10.5 |
| 2022.03 | 106.6 (1) | 7.1 (2A) / 73.3 (2B) / 78.0 (2C) | (67.9 projected, +5.5) | (5.3) | |
| 2022.04 | (73.0 projected, +5.1) | ||||
| 2022.05 | (79.4 projected, +6.4) | ||||
| 2022.06 | (85.3 projected, +5.9) | ||||
| 2022.07 | (92.6 projected, +7.3) | ||||
| 2022.08 | (99.2 projected, +6.6) | ||||
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.
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.
