Last major update issued on September 18, 2013 at 04:35 UTC.
[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated
daily)]
[Solar wind and
electron fluence charts (updated
daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update September 1, 2013)] [Cycle
24 progress (last update September 1, 2013) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last
update September 1, 2013)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and
24 (last update September 1, 2013)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006
(last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update
September 5, 2013)]
[POES auroral activity level since October
2009 - updated January 26, 2013]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated
September 5, 2013]
[Presentation
3rd
SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf)]
The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on September 17. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 344 and 389 km/s, weakly under the influence of a low speed stream from CH586.
Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 98.7 (decreasing 32.7 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 115.2. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 8 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 8.1). Three hour interval K indices: 22211232 (planetary), 13222232 (Boulder).
The background x-ray flux was at the class B2 level.
At the time of counting spots (see image time) there were 14 active regions in 2K resolution (SN: 174) and 10 active regions in 1K resolution (SN: 116) SDO images with spots on the visible solar disk.
Region 11841 [S03W10] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region 11843 [N01E07] emerged on September 16 and was numbered by
SWPC the next day.
New region 11844 [N23W50] emerged on September 16 and decayed on
September 17 when it was numbered by SWPC.
New region 11845 [S18E62] rotated into view on September 16 and received
its NOAA number one day later.
New region 11846 [S18E77] rotated into view and produced a C flare early
on Sept.18.
New region 11847 [N10E69] rotated into view on September 16 and was
numbered by SWPC the next day.
Spotted regions not numbered by SWPC:
S2682 [S06W37] was quiet and stable.
New region S2692 [N22E25] emerged with penumbra
spots.
New region S2693 [N19E08] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S2694 [N06E28] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S2695 [S34E18] emerged with a penumbra spot in an old plage
area.
New region S2696 [S14W41] emerged with penumbra
spots.
New region S2697 [S21W28] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S2698 [S16W08] emerged with penumbra spots.
September 15-17: 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 coronal hole (CH587) in the northern hemisphere will likely rotate into an Earth facing position on September 19-20.
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 mostly quiet on September 18-21 becoming quiet to unsettled on September 22-23 as a stream from CH587 influences the geomagnetic field.
| 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 | ||||||||||
| 11840 | 2013.09.05 2013.09.11 |
1 | S11W89 | AXX |
 |
rotated out of view | |||||
| S2667 | 2013.09.10 | S18W42 | plage | ||||||||
| 11841 | 2013.09.10 2013.09.11 |
1 | 2 | 1 | S04W12 | 0030 | HSX | HRX |
 |
 |
location: S03W10 |
| S2669 | 2013.09.10 | N13W36 | plage | ||||||||
| S2674 | 2013.09.11 | N15W46 | plage | ||||||||
| S2675 | 2013.09.11 | N20W42 | plage | ||||||||
| S2677 | 2013.09.12 | S28W57 | plage | ||||||||
| S2678 | 2013.09.13 | S12W40 | plage | ||||||||
| S2679 | 2013.09.13 | N15W51 | plage | ||||||||
| S2681 | 2013.09.13 | S14W54 | plage | ||||||||
| S2682 | 2013.09.13 | 1 | S06W37 | 0003 | AXX |
 |
 |
||||
| S2684 | 2013.09.15 | S31E12 | plage | ||||||||
| S2685 | 2013.09.16 | S09E70 |
 |
plage | |||||||
| 11845 | 2013.09.16 2013.09.17 |
1 | 1 | 1 | S20E59 | 0010 | AXX | HRX |
 |
 |
location: S18E62 |
| 11847 | 2013.09.16 2013.09.17 |
1 | 2 | 1 | N11E67 | 0010 | AXX | AXX |
 |
 |
location: N10E69 |
| 11843 | 2013.09.16 2013.09.17 |
4 | 11 | 6 | N01E06 | 0020 | CAO | DRO |
 |
 |
area: 0060 |
| 11844 | 2013.09.16 2013.09.17 |
1 | 2 | 1 | N23W56 | 0010 | AXX | AXX |
 |
 |
|
| S2690 | 2013.09.16 | S12W26 |
 |
plage | |||||||
| S2691 | 2013.09.16 | S30W43 |
 |
plage | |||||||
| 11846 | 2013.09.17 | 1 | 3 | 1 | S16E77 | 0050 | HAX | CSO |
 |
area: 0230 location: S18E77 |
|
| S2692 | 2013.09.17 | 2 | 1 | N22E25 | 0005 | BXO |
 |
||||
| S2693 | 2013.09.17 | 1 | N19E08 | 0002 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| S2694 | 2013.09.17 | 1 | N06E28 | 0002 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| S2695 | 2013.09.17 | 1 | S34E18 | 0001 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| S2696 | 2013.09.17 | 3 | 2 | S14W41 | 0015 | BXO |
 |
||||
| S2697 | 2013.09.17 | 2 | 1 | S21W28 | 0010 | AXX |
 |
||||
| S2698 | 2013.09.17 | 2 | 1 | S16W08 | 0006 | AXX |
 |
||||
| Total spot count: | 10 | 34 | 16 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 80 | 174 | 116 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 25 | 48 | 30 | (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): | 48 | 61 | 64 | 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 | 58.4 (-0.3) | 6.11 |
| 2013.03 | 111.3 | 57.9 | (58.2 projected, -0.2) | 10.56 |
| 2013.04 | 124.8 | 72.4 | (57.9 projected, -0.3) | 5.40 |
| 2013.05 | 131.4 | 78.7 | (58.0 projected, +0.1) | 9.73 |
| 2013.06 | 110.1 | 52.5 | (58.3 projected, +0.3) | 12.60 |
| 2013.07 | 115.5 | 57.0 | (58.3 projected, 0.0) | 9.47 |
| 2013.08 | 114.6 | 66.0 | (58.2 projected, -0.1) | 8.27 |
| 2013.09 | 98.5 (1) | 26.9 (2A) / 47.5 (2B) / 42.6 (2C) | (57.8 projected, -0.4) | (5.73) |
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.
