Last major update issued on August 23, 2013 at 04:45 UTC.
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August 20, 2013]
[Presentation
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SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf)]
The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on August 22. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 438 and 563 km/s, most of the day under the influence of a high speed stream from CH580. A solar wind shock was observed at 18:41 UTC at SOHO (possibly associated with the arrival of the CME observed on August 20). The total field of the interplanetary magnetic increased and the IMF swung more southwards resultingin an increase in geomagnetic disturbance levels.
Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 131.6 (increasing 22.1 over the last solar rotation). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 12 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 11.8). Three hour interval K indices: 33212233 (planetary), 34322333 (Boulder).
The background x-ray flux was at the class B5 level.
At midnight UTC the visible solar disk had 12 spotted active regions (in 2K resolution SDO images).
Region 11820 [S13W59] decayed slowly producing a few C flares.
Region 11823 [S07W21] gained a few spots and was quiet.
Region 11825 [N13W70] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 11827 [S18E19] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 11828 [N14E28] displayed no major changes and produced a few low
level C flares.
Region 11829 [N04W75] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 11830 [S05W52] gained penumbral area and was quiet.
Region 11831 [N13W48] developed slowly and quietly.
New region 11832 [N25W47] emerged on August 20 and was noticed by SWPC/USAF
two days later. The region has polarity intermixing and could produce C flares.
Spotted regions not numbered by SWPC:
S2611 [S09E15] reemerged with penumbra spots.
New region
S2627 [N19E20] emerged with several spots.
New region S2628 [S05W45] emerged close to AR 11830 with several spots.
August 21-22: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and
STEREO imagery.
August 20: At least a partial halo CME was observed from 09:18 UTC in
LASCO imagery following a large filament eruption in the southern hemisphere. A
backsided full halo CME was observed early in the day.
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 recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH580) was in an Earth facing position on August 18-19. A coronal hole (CH581) in the northern hemisphere was in an Earth facing position on August 22.
Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over high and upper middle latitudes is poor. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is fair to good.
The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active on August 23 due to CME effects from CH580. Quiet to unsettled is likely on August 24-26 with a chance of active intervals on August 25-26 due to effects from CH581.
| 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.
(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 | ||||||||||
| 11820 | 2013.08.11 2013.08.13 |
8 | 7 | 3 | S12W61 | 0110 | DAO | DAO |
 |
 |
|
| 11823 | 2013.08.14 2013.08.15 |
1 | 9 | 6 | S07W23 | 0100 | HSX | CSO |
 |
 |
area: 0180 |
| 11822 | 2013.08.15 | S11W42 | plage | ||||||||
| S2608 | 2013.08.16 | S21W46 | plage | ||||||||
| 11824 | 2013.08.17 | S12W84 |
 |
plage | |||||||
| 11827 | 2013.08.17 2013.08.18 |
8 | 21 | 9 | S18E18 | 0060 | DAO | DAI |
 |
 |
|
| S2611 | 2013.08.17 | 2 | S09E15 | 0002 | BXO |
 |
|||||
| 11826 | 2013.08.17 2013.08.18 |
N13W41 |
plage, SWPC/USAF moved this region to the location of AR
S2617 real location: N08W34 |
||||||||
| S2613 | 2013.08.17 | N22W55 | plage | ||||||||
| 11825 | 2013.08.17 2013.08.18 |
2 | 2 | 1 | N14W69 | 0050 | HAX | CSO |
 |
 |
|
| 11828 | 2013.08.18 2013.08.19 |
1 | 12 | 5 | N14E26 | 0020 | CRO | CSO |
 |
 |
area: 0040 |
| S2617 | 2013.08.18 | N14W36 | plage | ||||||||
| S2621 | 2013.08.19 | N20E23 | plage | ||||||||
| S2622 | 2013.08.19 | S28W41 | plage | ||||||||
| S2623 | 2013.08.20 | S19W01 | BXO |
 |
plage | ||||||
| 11831 | 2013.08.20 2013.08.21 |
5 | 20 | 9 | N13W49 | 0030 | DRO | DAI |
 |
 |
area: 0090 |
| 11832 | 2013.08.20 2013.08.21 |
2 | 16 | 6 | N25W49 | 0030 | CSO | CAI |
 |
 |
area: 0070 |
| 11829 | 2013.08.20 2013.08.21 |
3 | 2 | N05W74 | 0030 | CRO | AXX |
 |
 |
||
| 11830 | 2013.08.21 | 5 | 4 | 3 | S06W51 | 0050 | DAO | DAO |
 |
 |
|
| S2627 | 2013.08.22 | 6 | 5 | N19E20 | 0020 | BXO |
 |
||||
| S2628 | 2013.08.22 | 7 | 4 | S05W45 | 0030 | BXO |
 |
||||
| Total spot count: | 35 | 108 | 51 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 125 | 228 | 151 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 74 | 148 | 91 | (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): | 75 | 80 | 83 | k * (sunspot number). k = 0.6 for SWPC, k = 0.35 for STAR SDO 2K, k = 0.55 for STAR SDO 1K | |||||||
| Month | Average measured solar flux | International sunspot number (SIDC) | Smoothed sunspot number | Average ap (3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011.11 | 153.5 (cycle peak) | 96.7 (cycle peak) | 61.1 (+1.2) | 5.55 |
| 2012.02 | 106.5 | 32.9 | 66.9 (+1.4) likely cycle 24 max |
8.81 |
| 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 | 57.8 (-1.1) | 13.90 |
| 2012.08 | 115.4 | 63.0 | 58.2 (+0.4) | 7.96 |
| 2012.09 | 122.9 | 61.4 | 58.1 (-0.1) | 8.07 |
| 2012.10 | 123.3 | 53.3 | 58.6 (+0.5) | 9.97 |
| 2012.11 | 121.3 | 61.8 | 59.7 (+1.1) | 7.08 |
| 2012.12 | 108.6 | 40.8 | 59.6 (-0.1) | 3.44 |
| 2013.01 | 127.1 | 62.9 | 58.7 (-0.9) | 4.69 |
| 2013.02 | 104.3 | 38.0 | (57.8 projected, -0.9) | 6.11 |
| 2013.03 | 111.3 | 57.9 | (57.3 projected, -0.5) | 10.56 |
| 2013.04 | 124.8 | 72.4 | (57.3 projected, 0.0) | 5.40 |
| 2013.05 | 131.4 | 78.7 | (57.3 projected, 0.0) | 9.73 |
| 2013.06 | 110.1 | 52.5 | (57.6 projected, +0.3) | 12.60 |
| 2013.07 | 115.5 | 57.0 | (57.7 projected, +0.1) | 9.47 |
| 2013.08 | 115.8 (1) | 71.2 (2A) / 100.3 (2B) / 61.7 (2C) | (57.6 projected, -0.1) | (7.80) |
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 the 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.
