The geomagnetic field was quiet on January 24. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 374 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 180.2 - increasing 19.8 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 130.28). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 4 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 3.8). Three hour interval K indices: 11121110 (planetary), 11122321 (Boulder), 31111000 (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 15 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 260) and in 14 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 208) SDO/HMI images.
Region 13190 [S14W73] decayed in the leading
spot section. A major flare is possible.
Region 13192 [N17W71] produced a few flares with no significant
development observed.
Region 13196 [N12W35] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 13197 [N18W30] was quiet and stable.
Region 13198 [N26W09] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 13200 [N22E35] was quiet and stable.
New region 13201 [N24E58] rotated into view on January 23 with SWPC
numbering the region the next day.
Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted
differently) by SWPC:
S8194 [S24W80] decayed losing spots and area.
S8195 [N12E05] was quiet and stable.
S8196 [N18E20] has a weak magnetic delta and could produce C flares.
Note that SWPC considers
this and AR S8195 as one region.
S8200 [N22W22] was quiet and stable.
S8205 [N17W22] was quiet and stable.
S8210 [N24E19] decayed slowly and quietly during the latter half of
the day.
New region S8211 [S04W07] emerged with a tiny spot.
New region S8212 [N18E44] emerged with tiny
spots.
C2+ flares:
| Magnitude | Peak time (UT) | Location | Source | Recorded by | Comment |
| C2.4 | 02:19 | 13190 | GOES16 | ||
| C2.7 | 02:55 | S8194 | GOES16 | ||
| C6.6 | 04:26 | S8194 | GOES16 | ||
| C4.0 | 05:47 | S24W68 | S8194 | GOES16 | simultaneous flare in AR 13190 |
| C2.4 | 07:07 | N12W62 | 13191 | GOES16 | |
| C2.7 | 08:30 | NW quadrant | GOES16 | filament eruption | |
| C2.3 | 10:43 | 13190 | GOES16 | ||
| C2.5 | 13:22 | N15W66 | 13192 | GOES16 | |
| C3.7 | 13:42 | 13192 | GOES16 | ||
| C9.4 | 14:35 | N19W62 | 13192 | GOES16 | LDE, filament eruption |
| C8.6 | 15:15 | 13192 | GOES16 | ||
| C3.2 | 16:49 | 13190 | GOES16 | ||
| C2.1 | 19:42 | 13192 | GOES16 | ||
| C2.5 | 20:23 | 13192 | GOES16 | ||
| C3.0 | 22:50 | 13190 | GOES16 | ||
| C4.5 | 23:45 | 13192 | GOES16 |
January 22-24: 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 trans equatorial coronal hole (CH1126) rotated across the central meridian on January 21-22. A northern hemisphere coronal hole (CH1127) was Earth facing on January 24. A recurrent southern hemisphere coronal hole (CH1128) could become Earth facing on January 28.
Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over upper middle and high latitudes is fair. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor.
Quiet to active geomagnetic conditions are expected on January 25-26 due to effects from CH1126. Quiet to unsettled is likely on January 27.
| 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 | ||||||||||
| 13191 | 2023.01.12 2023.01.13 |
N10W85 |
 |
|
|||||||
| 13192 | 2023.01.12 2023.01.13 |
4 | 14 | 11 | N16W70 | 0130 | CAO | CAO |
 |
 |
location: N17W71 |
| 13190 | 2023.01.12 2023.01.13 |
6 | 15 | 10 | S14W78 | 0880 | DKC | EKC |
 |
 |
beta-gamma-delta area: 1060 location: S14W73 |
| 13194 | 2023.01.13 2023.01.15 |
4 | S24W84 | 0120 | DAO |
merged with AR S8194 |
|||||
| S8185 | 2023.01.16 | S13W33 | |||||||||
| 13196 | 2023.01.17 2023.01.18 |
2 | 8 | 4 | N15W34 | 0010 | CSO | BXO |
 |
 |
location: N12W35 |
| 13198 | 2023.01.18 2023.01.19 |
1 | 6 | 2 | N26W10 | 0060 | CSO | CAO |
 |
 |
location: N26W09 |
| 13197 | 2023.01.18 2023.01.19 |
5 | 9 | 5 | N20W24 | 0060 | DAO | CAO |
 |
 |
location: N18W30 |
| S8193 | 2023.01.18 | N27W38 | |||||||||
| S8194 | 2023.01.19 | 8 | 5 | S24W80 | 0040 | DRO |
 |
 |
|||
| S8195 | 2023.01.19 | 2 | 2 | N12E05 | 0008 | BXO |
 |
 |
|||
| S8196 | 2023.01.19 | 17 | 12 | N18E07 | 0060 | DRI |
 |
 |
beta-delta | ||
| S8198 | 2023.01.19 | S14W35 | |||||||||
| S8199 | 2023.01.19 | S49W39 | |||||||||
| S8200 | 2023.01.19 | 7 | 4 | N22W22 | 0070 | DRO |
 |
 |
|||
| 13199 | 2023.01.20 | 12 | N16E05 | 0060 | CAO | SWPC considers ARs S8195 and S8196 to be one group | |||||
| 13200 | 2023.01.21 2023.01.22 |
2 | 10 | 6 | N23E35 | 0040 | CAO | CAO |
 |
 |
location: N22E35 area: 0060 |
| S8203 | 2023.01.21 | S24W21 | |||||||||
| S8204 | 2023.01.21 | N13E42 | |||||||||
| S8205 | 2023.01.21 | 4 | 2 | N17W22 | 0020 | BXO |
 |
 |
|||
| S8206 | 2023.01.21 | S30W17 | |||||||||
| S8207 | 2023.01.22 | N01W28 | |||||||||
| 13201 | 2023.01.23 2023.01.24 |
1 | 2 | 1 | N25E58 | 0020 | HSX | HSX |
 |
 |
area: 0090 location: N24E58 |
| S8209 | 2023.01.23 | S29E41 |
 |
||||||||
| S8210 | 2023.01.23 | 2 | 2 | N24E19 | 0007 | BXO |
 |
 |
|||
| S8211 | 2023.01.24 | 1 | S04W07 | 0002 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| S8212 | 2023.01.24 | 5 | 2 | N18E44 | 0012 | BXO |
 |
||||
| Total spot count: | 37 | 110 | 68 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 127 | 260 | 208 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 87 | 154 | 112 | (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): | 140 | 143 | 166 | ||||||||
| 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) | 11.13 |
| 2023.01 | 193.3 (1) | 113.6 (2A) / 146.8 (2B) / 172.7 (2C) | (113.1 projected, +6.0) | (9.2) | |
| 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.
