Last major update issued on February 16, 2013 at 05:15 UTC.
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The geomagnetic field was quiet on February 15. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 284 and 414 km/s.
Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 100.1 (decreasing 6.6 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: 3.6). Three hour interval K indices: 01110121 (planetary), 02211211 (Boulder).
The background x-ray flux was at the class B2 level.
At midnight UTC the visible solar disk had 10 spotted active regions (in 2K resolution SDO images).
Region 11670 [N17W85] decayed further as it rotated to the northwest
limb.
Region 11671 [N15E07] was quiet and stable.
Region 11672 [S20W16] was quiet and stable.
New region 11673 [S10E69] rotated into view on February 14 and was
numbered by SWPC the next day.
New region 11674 [N15W03] emerged on February 14 and got an NOAA number
the next day. The region decayed on Feb.15 and could soon become spotless.
Spotted regions not numbered by SWPC:
S2222 [N30E12] reemerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S2235 [N13E47] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S2236 [N05E26] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S2237 [S04W23] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S2238 [S02W12] emerged near the equator with a penumbra spot.
February 13-15: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO 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 small coronal hole (CH554) in the southern hemisphere rotated across the central meridian on February 12. A narrow trans equatorial coronal hole (CH555) - an extension of a southern hemisphere coronal hole - rotated across the central meridian on February 15-16.
Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over high and upper middle latitudes is poor to fair. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor.
The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on February 16 with a chance of a few unsettled intervals due to effects from CH554. Quiet conditions are likely on February 17. On February 18-19 effects from CH555 could cause a few unsettled and active intervals.
| 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 | ||||||||||
| 11669 | 2013.02.04 2013.02.05 |
N07W88 |
 |
plage location: N08W64 |
|||||||
| 11670 | 2013.02.05 2013.02.07 |
3 | 1 | N17W85 | 0070 | CAO | HSX |
 |
 |
||
| S2213 | 2013.02.08 | N15W54 | plage | ||||||||
| S2216 | 2013.02.09 | S18W16 | plage | ||||||||
| 11672 | 2013.02.10 2013.02.11 |
1 | 1 | 1 | S17W15 | 0010 | AXX |
 |
 |
area: 0004 location: S20W16 |
|
| 11671 | 2013.02.10 2013.02.11 |
1 | 5 | 4 | N14E04 | 0090 | HSX | CSO |
 |
 |
location: N15E07 area: 0160 |
| S2222 | 2013.02.11 | 1 | N30E12 | 0002 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| S2226 | 2013.02.11 | S07W41 |
 |
plage | |||||||
| S2228 | 2013.02.12 | S07W00 |
 |
plage | |||||||
| S2231 | 2013.02.13 | S33W24 | plage | ||||||||
| 11673 | 2013.02.14 2013.02.15 |
1 | 8 | 4 | S11E67 | 0040 | HSX | CRO |
 |
 |
location: S10E69 |
| 11674 | 2013.02.14 2013.02.15 |
3 | 2 | N14W03 | 0010 | BXO | AXX |
 |
 |
area: 0004 | |
| S2235 | 2013.02.15 | 1 | N13E47 | 0003 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| S2236 | 2013.02.15 | 1 | 1 | N05E26 | 0005 | AXX |
 |
||||
| S2237 | 2013.02.15 | 1 | 1 | S04W23 | 0005 | AXX |
 |
||||
| S2238 | 2013.02.15 | 1 | S02W12 | 0002 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| Total spot count: | 9 | 22 | 11 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 59 | 122 | 61 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 24 | 35 | 24 | (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): | 35 | 43 | 34 | 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011.10 | 137.3 | 88.0 | 59.9 (+0.4) | 8.28 |
| 2011.11 | 153.5 (cycle max) | 96.7 (cycle max) | 61.1 (+1.2) | 5.55 |
| 2011.12 | 141.3 | 73.0 | 63.4 (+2.3) | 3.78 |
| 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 | (58.6 projected, +0.9) | 7.96 |
| 2012.09 | 122.9 | 61.4 | (58.7 projected, +0.1) | 8.07 |
| 2012.10 | 123.3 | 53.3 | (58.1 projected, -0.6) | 9.97 |
| 2012.11 | 121.3 | 61.4 | (57.4 projected, -0.7) | 7.08 |
| 2012.12 | 108.6 | 40.8 | (56.7 projected, -0.7) | 3.44 |
| 2013.01 | 127.1 | 62.9 | (56.0 projected, -0.7) | 4.69 |
| 2013.02 | 104.7 (1) | 26.8 (2A) / 50.1 (2B) / 38.6 (2C) | (55.0 projected, -1.0) | (5.26) |
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.
