Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on April 13, 2013 at 05:40 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update April 1, 2013)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update April 7, 2013) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update April 1, 2013)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update April 1, 2013)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update April 4, 2013)]

[POES auroral activity level since October 2009 - updated January 26, 2013]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated March 24, 2013]
[Presentation 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf)]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on April 12. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 425 and 547 km/s under the influence of a high speed coronal hole stream.

Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 137.9 (increasing 11.9 over the last solar rotation). 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: 22111000 (planetary), 12202221 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux was at the class B5 level.

At midnight UTC the visible solar disk had 10 spotted active regions (in 2K resolution SDO images).

Region 11714 [N12W66] was quiet and stable.
Region 11718 [N22W44] has minor polarity intermixing and may be capable of producing another M class event. The region decayed losing area and spots. C5+ flare: M3.3 at 20:38 UTC.
Region 11719 [N10W12] decayed slowly and lost the magnetic delta structure.
Region 11721 [S18E07] developed slowly and was mostly quiet. C flares are possible.
Region 11722 [S20E17] was quiet and stable.

Spotted regions not numbered by SWPC:
S2343 [N12W46] reemerged with several spots.
S2348 [N07W27] was quiet and stable.
New region S2351 [S27E83] rotated partly into view. The region could produce C flares.
New region S2352 [S18E64] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S2353 [N10E12] emerged with penumbra spots in an old plage area.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

April 10, 12: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO imagery.
April 11: A fast full halo CME was observed after an M6.5 LDE in AR 11719. The CME could reach Earth near noon on April 13.

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 small trans equatorial coronal hole (CH565) could rotate into an Earth facing position on April 14.

Coronal hole map

Propagation

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

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to major storm on April 13-14 with a chance of severe storm intervals due to CME effects. Quiet conditions are likely on April 15-16 becoming quiet to unsettled on April 17-18 due to effects from CH565.

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: 0-20% probability, Yellow: 20-60% probability, Red: 60-100% probability.

Active solar regions

(Click on image for 2K 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 numbered solar regions according to the Solar Region Summary provided by NOAA/SWPC. 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.

Active region Date numbered
detected
Spot count Location at midnight Area Classification SDO / HMI 4K continuum
image with magnetic polarity overlay
Comment
SWPC STAR SDO SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
11711 2013.03.29
2013.03.30
1     S16W95 0100 HAX    

rotated out of view

11716 2013.04.01
2013.04.05
      S20W65        

plage

11714 2013.04.01
2013.04.02
1 1 1 N13W66 0070 HSX HSX area: 0040
S2337 2013.04.04       S08W36           plage
11720 2013.04.04
2013.04.07
      N10W76           plage
11717 2013.04.05       S12W29        

plage

11718 2013.04.05 23 28 14 N21W46 0510 DKC DAC

beta-gamma

area: 0400

11719 2013.04.05 22 35 17 N11W14 0290 EKI ESI beta-gamma

location: N10W12

 

S2341 2013.04.06       N03W40           plage
S2343 2013.04.07   3 1 N11W43 0010        
11721 2013.04.09
2013.04.10
17 26 16 S18E06 0220 DAI DAI  

area: 0300

11722 2013.04.09
2013.04.10
4 12 7 S21E17 0030 DRO DRO  
S2348 2013.04.10   6   N07W27 0010   AXX  
S2349 2013.04.10       S11W26           plage
S2350 2013.04.11       S24E59         plage
S2351 2013.04.12   1 1 S27E83 0080   HAX    
S2352 2013.04.12   2   S18E64 0006   BXO    
S2353 2013.04.12   2   N10E12 0006   BXO    
Total spot count: 68 116 57  
Sunspot number: 128 216 127  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 106 144 85  (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): 77 76 70 k * (sunspot number). k = 0.6 for SWPC, k = 0.35 for STAR SDO 2K, k = 0.55 for STAR SDO 1K

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average measured solar flux International sunspot number (SIDC) Smoothed sunspot number Average ap
(3)
2011.11 153.5 (cycle max) 96.7 (cycle max) 61.1 (+1.2) 5.55
2012.01 132.5 58.3 65.5 (+2.1) 7.15
2012.02 106.5 32.9 66.9 (+1.4)
possible cycle 24 max
8.81
2012.03 114.7 64.3 66.8 (-0.1) 16.08
2012.04 113.0 55.2 64.6 (-2.2) 10.10
2012.05 121.5 69.0 61.7 (-2.9) 7.06
2012.06 119.6 64.5 58.9 (-2.8) 10.08
2012.07 133.9 66.5 57.7 (-1.2) 13.90
2012.08 115.4 63.0 58.1 (+0.4) 7.96
2012.09 122.9 61.4 58.1 (-0.0) 8.07
2012.10 123.3 53.3 (57.6 projected, -0.5) 9.97
2012.11 121.3 61.8 (56.9 projected, -0.7) 7.08
2012.12 108.6 40.8 (55.7 projected, -1.2) 3.44
2013.01 127.1 62.9 (54.3 projected, -1.4) 4.69
2013.02 104.3 38.0 (53.3 projected, -1.0) 6.11
2013.03 111.3 57.9 (52.2 projected, -1.1) 10.56
2013.04 134.6 (1) 50.4 (2A) / 126.0 (2B) / 59.4 (2C) (51.0 projected, -1.2) (3.42)

1) Running average based on the daily 20:00 UTC observed solar flux value at 2800 MHz.
2A) Current impact on the monthly sunspot number based on the Boulder (NOAA/SWPC) sunspot number (accumulated daily sunspots / month days). The official SIDC international sunspot number is typically 30-50% lower. 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 Potsdam WDC ap indices.

This report has been prepared by Jan Alvestad. It is based on analysis of data from whatever sources are available at the time the report is prepared. All time references are to the UTC day. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

SDO images are courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.