Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on July 30, 2014 at 05:20 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update July 1, 2014)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update July 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update July 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update July 1, 2014)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update July 5, 2014)]

[POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated July 18, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was very quiet on July 29. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 307 and 379 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 142 (decreasing 27.4 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 133.0. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 4 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 3.9). Three hour interval K indices: 11111111 (planetary), 12112012 (Boulder).

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

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 14 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 252) and 11 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 168) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12121 [N07W25] was quiet and stable.
Region 12123 [S14W23] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12124 [S21E24] decayed quietly.
Region 12125 [S13E31] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12126 [S09W28] decayed slowly producing a few low level C flares.
Region 12127 [S08E48] was quiet and stable. C and minor M class flares are possible.
Region 12128 [S21E48] was quiet and stable.
Region 12129 [S06W22] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region 12130 [S07E69] rotated into view on July 28 and was numbered by SWPC the next day. C and M class flaring is possible.
New region 12131 [S19E60] emerged on July 28 with SWPC numbering the region the following day.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
New region S3684 [N14W68] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3685 [S19W31] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S3686 [N13E30] was observed with penumbra spots.
New region S3687 [N16W22] was observed with a penumbra spot.

C2+ Flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR
C4.6 16:33 S08E77 12130

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

July 27-29: 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

A recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH629) will likely rotate into an Earth facing position on July 31-August 1.

Coronal hole map

Propagation

Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over 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 on July 30 - August 2. Weak effects from CH629 could cause a few unsettled intervals on August 3-4.

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: 0-30% probability, Yellow: 30-70% probability, Red: 70-100% 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 Magnetic
(SDO)
SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
12121 2014.07.21
2014.07.22
12 15 9 N08W23 0150 CAO CAO

area: 0210

12122 2014.07.21
2014.07.22
      S13W47          

plage

location: S12W39

12123 2014.07.22
2014.07.23
2 7 3 S15W25 0010 CRO CRO location: S14W23
12126 2014.07.24
2014.07.26
21 25 13 S09W28 0090 EAI DAI

area: 0180

12124 2014.07.25
2014.07.26
2 4 3 S21E23 0010 AXX AXX  
12125 2014.07.25
2014.07.26
3 8 2 S13E31 0040 HAX CAO  
S3672 2014.07.26       N20W42           plage
S3673 2014.07.26       S14E14           plage
12127 2014.07.27 6 19 10 S08E48 0250 DKC DKC

area: 0340

12128 2014.07.27 1 1 1 S20E47 0030 HSX HAX area: 0040
12129 2014.07.27
2014.07.28
2 7 4 S06W23 0010 AXX BXO  
S3677 2014.07.27       N02W44           plage
S3678 2014.07.27       S32W37           plage
S3680 2014.07.28       N15E14         plage
12130 2014.07.28
2014.07.29
8 13 9 S07E71 0290 DKI DKC area: 0400
12131 2014.07.28
2014.07.29
3 7 3 S18E59 0010 CAO CAO area: 0040
S3683 2014.07.28       S16W01         plage
S3684 2014.07.29   1   N14W68 0002   AXX    
S3685 2014.07.29   2 1 S19W31 0005   AXX    
S3686 2014.07.29   2   N13E30 0003   AXX    
S3687 2014.07.29   1   N16W22 0003   AXX    
Total spot count: 60 112 58  
Sunspot number: 160 252 168  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 108 160 106  (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): 96 88 92 k * (sunspot number). k = 0.6 for SWPC, k = 0.35 for MSN 2K, k = 0.55 for MSN 1K (MSN=Magnetic Sunspot Number)

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average solar flux International sunspot number
(WDC-SILSO)
Smoothed sunspot number Average ap
(3)
Measured 1 AU
2013.02 104.3 101.8 38.0 58.4 (-0.3) 6.11
2013.03 111.3 110.2 57.9 57.5 (-0.9) 10.56
2013.04 124.8 125.9 72.4 57.9 (+0.4) 5.40
2013.05 131.4 134.3 78.7 59.9 (+2.0) 9.73
2013.06 110.1 113.7 52.5 62.6 (+2.7) 12.60
2013.07 115.5 119.3 57.0 65.5 (+2.9) 9.47
2013.08 114.6 118.3 66.0 69.0 (+3.5) 8.27
2013.09 102.6 103.7 36.9 73.1 (+4.1) 5.23
2013.10  132.1 131.2 85.6 75.0 (+1.9) 7.71
2013.11  148.3 145.1 77.6 75.4 (+0.4) 5.68
2013.12 147.7 143.1 90.3 76.0 (+0.6) 4.68
2014.01 157.4 152.4 81.8 (78.2 projected, +2.2) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.3 (cycle peak) (79.7 projected, +1.5) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 91.9 (80.5 projected, +0.8) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 (79.7 projected, -0.8) 7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (77.1 projected, -2.6) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 (74.5 projected, -2.6) 6.72
2014.07 136.3 (1)   105.0 (2A) / 112.2 (2B) / 84.3 (2C) (71.5 projected, -3.0) (4.5)

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 WDC-SILSO 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 GFZ 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.