The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on January 8. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 356 and 461 km/sec. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded quiet to unsettled levels.
Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 183.8 - increasing 33.0 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 125.83). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 8 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 7.5). Three hour interval K indices: 22223110 (planetary), 2222430x (Boulder), 33212211 (Andenes).
The background x-ray flux is at the class C2 level (GOES 16).
At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 11 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 331) and in 10 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 213) SDO/HMI images.
Region 13177 [S18W71] decayed slowly and
quietly.
Region 13181 [S16W21] developed in the northern part while decay was
observed in the southern part.
Region 13182 [S16E32] decayed slightly in the southern spot section
and became less active after noon. The region still has weak magnetic deltas
and could produce a major flare.
Region 13183 [S17W50] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region 13184 [S13E80] rotated into view and was very active all
day. Further M class flaring is likely, and a major flare is possible.
Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted
differently) by SWPC:
S8133 [N17W51] decayed slowly and quietly
S8135 [N21W47] decayed slowly and quietly.
S8155 [S21W15] still has small magnetic deltas in the northern and
western part of the trailing penumbra. Some loss of area was observed. The region has been mostly quiet,
however, an M class flare is possible.
S8159 [N20E15] developed slowly and quietly.
New region S8161 [S15E12] was observed with tiny spots in an old
plage area.
New region S8162 [S31E17] was observed with tiny spots in an
old plage area.
C2+ flares:
| Magnitude | Peak time (UT) | Location | Source | Recorded by | Comment |
| C4.3 | 02:29 | S16E38 | 13182 | GOES16 | |
| C6.3/1F | 03:08 | 13182 | GOES16 | ||
| C7.0 | 03:31 | 13182 | GOES16 | ||
| C9.3 | 03:44 | 13182 | GOES16 | ||
| C8.0 | 04:55 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| C7.0 | 05:47 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| C5.7 | 06:07 | 13182 | GOES16 | ||
| C5.0 | 07:05 | 13182 | GOES16 | ||
| C6.3 | 07:24 | 13182 | GOES16 | simultaneous flare in AR 13184 | |
| C5.7 | 07:48 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| M1.2 | 08:54 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| M1.4 | 09:48 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| C8.0 | 10:29 | northwest limb | S8158? | GOES16 | |
| C4.4 | 11:14 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| C5.3 | 12:05 | S17E40 | 13182 | GOES16 | |
| C6.1 | 12:38 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| C6.0 | 12:50 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| C5.4 | 14:36 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| M1.4 | 15:07 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| C2.6 | 16:00 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| C2.2 | 17:10 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| C9.7 | 18:57 | 13184 | GOES16 | ||
| M1.0 | 19:11 | S15E86 | 13184 | GOES16 | |
| C2.6 | 21:09 | northwest limb | S8158? | GOES16 | |
| C3.1 | 21:41 | 13182 | GOES16 | ||
| C2.0 | 22:44 | 13184 | GOES16 |
January 6-8: 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 northern hemisphere coronal hole (CH1124) may have been too far to the north to cause geomagnetic effects. CH1124 rotated across the central meridian on January 7.
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 fair. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor.
Mostly quiet geomagnetic conditions are expected on January 9-11 with a chance of unsettled and active intervals on January 10-11 should effects from CH1124 reach Earth.
| 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 | ||||||||||
| 13177 | 2022.12.27 2022.12.28 |
1 | 4 | 2 | S18W72 | 0010 | AXX | BXO |
 |
 |
|
| S8133 | 2022.12.29 | 1 | 1 | N17W51 | 0100 | HSX |
 |
 |
|||
| 13180 | 2022.12.30 | 3 | N18W50 | 0090 | CSO | SWPC consider AR S8133 and S8135 to be one region | |||||
| S8135 | 2022.12.30 | 6 | 2 | N21W47 | 0060 | CAO |
 |
 |
|||
| 13181 | 2022.12.31 2023.01.01 |
19 | 43 | 22 | S20W20 | 0410 | EKI | DRI |
 |
 |
area: 0100 location: S16W21 SWPC considers this and AR S8155 as one region |
| S8146 | 2023.01.02 | S13W40 | |||||||||
| S8149 | 2023.01.03 | N33W50 | |||||||||
| S8150 | 2023.01.03 | N14W33 | |||||||||
| 13183 | 2023.01.03 2023.01.05 |
8 | 25 | 16 | S17W49 | 0180 | DAO | EAI |
 |
 |
|
| S8153 | 2023.01.04 | S10W26 | |||||||||
| 13182 | 2023.01.04 2023.01.05 |
23 | 84 | 36 | S17E32 | 0880 | EKI | EKI |
 |
 |
beta-gamma-delta location: S16E32 |
| S8155 | 2023.01.05 | 35 | 25 | S21W15 | 0500 | DKC |
 |
 |
beta-delta | ||
| S8157 | 2023.01.05 | S02E01 | |||||||||
| S8159 | 2023.01.06 | 10 | 4 | N20E15 | 0020 | BXO |
 |
 |
|||
| 13184 | 2023.01.08 2023.01.08 |
3 | 7 | 4 | S13E81 | 0240 | HAX | DKC |
 |
beta-delta? area: 0400 |
|
| S8161 | 2023.01.08 | 4 | 1 | S15E12 | 0008 | AXX |
 |
||||
| S8162 | 2023.01.08 | 2 | S31E17 | 0005 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| Total spot count: | 57 | 221 | 113 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 117 | 331 | 213 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 92 | 269 | 151 | (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): | 129 | 182 | 170 | ||||||||
| 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 |
| 2021.06 | 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 | 64.7 (+4.6) | 10.46 |
| 2022.03 | 117.0 | 115.8 | 78.6 | 68.7 (+4.0) | 10.20 |
| 2022.04 | 130.8 | 131.7 | 84.0 | 73.0 (+4.3) | 11.79 |
| 2022.05 | 133.8 | 136.8 | 96.5 | 77.2 (+4.2) | 7.48 |
| 2022.06 | 116.1 | 119.8 | 70.3 | 80.9 (+3.7) | 8.20 |
| 2022.07 | 125.4 | 129.5 | 91.4 | (86.0 projected, +5.1) | 9.51 |
| 2022.08 | 114.2 | 117.1 | 74.6 | (91.4 projected, +5.4) | 10.92 |
| 2022.09 | 135.1 | 136.5 | 96.0 | (96.3 projected, +4.9) | 12.18 |
| 2022.10 | 133.5 | 132.7 | 95.4 | (99.5 projected, +3.2) | 11.16 |
| 2022.11 | 123.4 | 120.7 | 77.6 | (102.3 projected, +2.8) | 9.33 |
| 2022.12 | 147.9 | 143.4 | 113.1 | (107.1 projected, +4.8) | 11.2 |
| 2023.01 | 161.0 (1) | 25.4 (2A) / 98.5 (2B) / 138.1 (2C) | (113.1 projected, +6.0) | (8.6) | |
| 2023.02 | (118.2 projected, +5.1) | ||||
| 2023.03 | (121.3 projected, +3.1) | ||||
| 2023.04 | (126.7 projected, +5.4) | ||||
| 2023.05 | (132.5 projected, +5.8) | ||||
| 2023.06 | (135.7 projected, +3.2) | ||||
| 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.
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.
