Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on May 22, 2013 at 04:20 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update May 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 May 1, 2013)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update May 1, 2013)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update May 6, 2013)]

[POES auroral activity level since October 2009 - updated January 26, 2013]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated May 12, 2013]
[Presentation 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf)]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on May 21. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 346 and 536 km/s. A weak disturbance began after 16h UTC and has intensified early on May 22.

Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 125.3 (increasing 10.6 over the last solar rotation). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 5 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 4.6). Three hour interval K indices: 21110012 (planetary), 23322223 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux was at the class B6 level.

At midnight UTC the visible solar disk had 11 spotted active regions (in 2K resolution SDO images).

Region 11745 [N14W67] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Region 11746 [S28W63] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 11748 [N14W29] lost the magnetic delta structure. While there is polarity intermixing, the region is decaying slowly.
Region 11753 [N05E47] lost penumbral area while gaining a few spots.
Region 11754 [S19E38] was quiet and stable.
New region 11755 [N10E67] rotated into view on May 20 and was numbered the next day by SWPC. The region has polarity intermixing and could produce C and minor M class flares.
New region 11756 [S20E53] emerged on May 20 and was numbered by SWPC the following day. The region began to produce C flares late in the day.

Spotted regions not numbered by SWPC:
S2431 [S20E18] gained a leading penumbra spot.
S2432 [S17E41] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region S2436 [N05E33] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S2437 [N15E27] emerged with a penumbra spot.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

May 19-21: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO imagery.

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

No obvious coronal holes are currently in or near Earth facing positions.

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 poor. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor to fair.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on May 22 and quiet on May 23-24.

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
11745 2013.05.10 5 7 3 N13W66 0120 CAO CAO

 

11746 2013.05.10
2013.05.11
1 1 1 S28W64 0130 HSX HSX  
11747 2013.05.12       S17W73           plage
11751 2013.05.12
2013.05.15
      S23W57           plage
11748 2013.05.13 16 20 8 N13W50 0120 DAI DSO beta-gamma

area: 0070

S2419 2013.05.14       S17W31           plage
S2424 2013.05.16       S29W38           plage
11754 2013.05.18
2013.05.20
4 10 4 S16E38 0020 CRO DRO location: S19E38

area: 0035

11753 2013.05.19
2013.05.20
10 22 8 N04E47 0060 DRO DRI beta-gamma
S2428 2013.05.19       N02W48           plage
S2429 2013.05.19       S21W41           plage
11756 2013.05.20
2013.05.21
10 28 11 S20E54 0100 DAO DAI area: 0220
S2431 2013.05.20   2 1 S20E18 0008   BXO  
S2432 2013.05.20   1 1 S17E41 0005   AXX  
11755 2013.05.20
2013.05.21
3 21 8 N10E62 0120 DSO CSI beta-gamma
S2434 2013.05.20       N12W16         plage
S2435 2013.05.20       N28W01         plage
S2436 2013.05.21   2 1 N05E33 0006   BXO    
S2437 2013.05.21   1   N15E27 0001   AXX    
Total spot count: 49 115 46  
Sunspot number: 119 225 146  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 80 146 77  (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): 71 79 80 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
2012.02 106.5 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 58.6 (+0.5) 9.97
2012.11 121.3 61.8 (59.1 projected, +0.5) 7.08
2012.12 108.6 40.8 (58.4 projected, -0.7) 3.44
2013.01 127.1 62.9 (58.0 projected, -0.4) 4.69
2013.02 104.3 38.0 (58.2 projected, +0.5) 6.11
2013.03 111.3 57.9 (57.8 projected, -0.4) 10.56
2013.04 124.8 72.4 (57.4 projected, -0.4) 5.40
2013.05 138.5 (1) 97.0 (2A) / 143.2 (2B) / 81.9 (2C) (57.5 projected, +0.1) (7.83)

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.