Last major update issued on December 14, 2013 at 06:00 UTC.
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SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf)]
The geomagnetic field was quiet on December 13. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 270 and 325 km/s. A very weak solar wind shock was observed at 12:00 UTC at SOHO with a sudden increase in solar wind speed from 270 to 310 km/s. A low speed stream associated with CH597 arrived at ACE near midnight and is causing a disturbance on Dec.14.
Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 163.1 (decreasing 11.4 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 134.1. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 2 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 2.5). Three hour interval K indices: 00002111 (planetary), 01002211 (Boulder).
The background x-ray flux was at the class B6 level.
At the time of counting spots (see image time) spots were observed in 13 active regions in 2K resolution (SN: 321) and 9 active regions in 1K resolution (SN: 188) SDO images on the visible solar disk.
Region 11912 [S21W77] was quiet and stable.
Region 11917 [S15W10] developed slowly producing a few C flares. The
region has polarity intermixing.
Region 11918 [S10E12] developed slowly and quietly.
Region 11920 [N07E23] developed slowly and quietly.
Region 11922 [N10W60] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 11923 [N17W09] developed slowly and quietly.
New region 11925 [S07E57] rotated into view on December 11 and was
numbered by SWPC 2 days later.
Spotted regions not numbered by SWPC:
S2892 [S13W48] lost the trailing penumbra spots while new penumbra spots
formed in the leading polarity area.
S2897 [N15W37] reemerged with a penumbra spot.
S2911 [N18W02] was quiet and stable.
S2912 [S24E07] gained penumbra spots and was quiet.
New region S2914 [N08W17] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S2916 [S19W27] emerged with a penumbra spot.
December 11, 13: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO
and
STEREO imagery.
December 12: A partial halo CME (full halo in STEREO-B) was observed
after the C4 event in AR 11912. This CME could have an Earth directed extension.
A filament eruption the the south of 11917 was associated with a partial halo
CME, possibly with an Earth directed extension.
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 large northern hemisphere coronal hole (CH597) was in an Earth facing position on December 11.
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 December 14-15 due to effects from CH597, on December 15 possibly with contribution from CME effects. Quiet to unsettled is likely on December 16 becoming quiet on December 17-18.
| 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 | ||||||||||
| 11912 | 2013.12.01 2013.12.02 |
1 | 1 | 1 | S21W79 | 0060 | HSX | HSX |
 |
 |
area: 0100 |
| S2892 | 2013.12.04 | 3 | S13W48 | 0006 | AXX |
 |
 |
||||
| 11917 | 2013.12.06 2013.12.07 |
11 | 50 | 28 | S15W10 | 0220 | DAI | DAC |
 |
 |
beta-gamma area: 0430 |
| 11923 | 2013.12.07 2013.12.10 |
8 | 30 | 17 | N18W10 | 0050 | DAO | DAI |
 |
 |
beta-gamma area: 0100 |
| S2897 | 2013.12.07 | 1 | N15W40 | 0003 | AXX |
 |
plage | ||||
| S2898 | 2013.12.07 | N20W59 | plage | ||||||||
| 11918 | 2013.12.08 | 11 | 24 | 14 | S09E11 | 0180 | DAO | DAC |
 |
 |
beta-gamma area: 0310 location: S10E24] |
| 11920 | 2013.12.08 2013.12.09 |
2 | 50 | 20 | N12E18 | 0070 | HAX | CKI |
 |
 |
beta-gamma location: N07E23 area: 0750 |
| 11922 | 2013.12.08 2013.12.10 |
4 | 5 | 3 | N10W58 | 0080 | DSO | DSO |
 |
 |
area: 0120 |
| 11919 | 2013.12.08 2013.12.09 |
S06W80 |
 |
|
|||||||
| S2906 | 2013.12.08 | N09W00 | plage | ||||||||
| 11921 | 2013.12.09 | 8 | N07E23 | 0350 | CKO | magnetically part of AR 11920 | |||||
| 11924 | 2013.12.09 2013.12.11 |
2 | S13W86 | 0010 | BXO |
 |
plage | ||||
| S2908 | 2013.12.10 | S08W11 | plage | ||||||||
| S2909 | 2013.12.10 | S27W21 | plage | ||||||||
| 11925 | 2013.12.11 2013.12.13 |
4 | 12 | 8 | S08E56 | 0030 | CRO | CRO |
 |
 |
area: 0050 |
| S2911 | 2013.12.11 | 1 | 1 | N18W02 | 0005 | AXX |
 |
 |
|||
| S2912 | 2013.12.12 | 12 | 6 | S24E07 | 0025 | BXO |
 |
 |
|||
| S2913 | 2013.12.12 | N03W35 |
 |
plage | |||||||
| S2914 | 2013.12.13 | 1 | N08W17 | 0001 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| S2916 | 2013.12.13 | 1 | S19W27 | 0003 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| Total spot count: | 51 | 191 | 98 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 141 | 321 | 188 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 94 | 229 | 136 | (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): | 85 | 112 | 103 | 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) possible cycle 24 max |
8.81 |
| 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 | 58.4 (-0.3) | 6.11 |
| 2013.03 | 111.3 | 57.9 | 57.5 (-0.9) | 10.56 |
| 2013.04 | 124.8 | 72.4 | 57.9 (+0.4) | 5.40 |
| 2013.05 | 131.4 | 78.7 | 59.9 (+2.0) | 9.73 |
| 2013.06 | 110.1 | 52.5 | (62.2 projected, +2.3) | 12.60 |
| 2013.07 | 115.5 | 57.0 | (63.9 projected, +1.7) | 9.47 |
| 2013.08 | 114.6 | 66.0 | (64.8 projected, +0.9) | 8.27 |
| 2013.09 | 102.6 | 36.9 | (65.6 projected, +0.8) | 5.23 |
| 2013.10 | 132.1 | 85.6 | (64.9 projected, -0.7) | 7.71 |
| 2013.11 | 148.3 | 77.6 | (63.0 projected, -1.9) | 5.68 |
| 2013.12 | 154.0 (1) | 50.8 (2A) / 121.2 (2B) / 84.7 (2C) | (61.7 projected, -1.3) | (5.4) |
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.
