Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on June 19, 2014 at 04:30 UTC.

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

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

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to active on June 18. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 371 and 495 km/s. Another disturbance, possibly with a coronal hole origin, arrived after 16h UTC and caused unsettled to active conditions.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 110.8 (decreasing 0.5 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 139.8. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 13 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 13.0). Three hour interval K indices: 32222334 (planetary), 32323424 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B3 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 12 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 194) and 11 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 154) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12087 [S18W35] decayed slowly losing penumbral area and some spots.
Region 12089 [N18W77] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12090 [N25W23] was quiet and stable.
Region 12092 [S20W20] was quiet and stable.
Region 12093 [S10E38] displayed some activity early in the day and appears to be decaying.
Region 12094 [S18E45] was quiet and stable.
New region 12095 [N05W69] emerged on June 17 and was numbered by SWPC the next day.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3538 [S09E30] developed slowly and quietly.
S3549 [S20W01] was quiet and stable.
New region S3553 [N15W11] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S3554 [S12W20] emerged with a few spots.
New region S3555 [N03W16] emerged with a penumbra spot.

C2+ Flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR
C4.0 03:31   12087
C2.2/1F 06:14 S09E46 12093

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

June 16, 18: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO imagery.
June 17: A partial halo CME was observed after a C4 flare in AR 12087. The CME could have weak Earth directed components.

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 upper middle latitudes is poor. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is fair.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on June 19 and mostly quiet on June 20-21.

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
12089 2014.06.07
2014.06.11
11 9 5 N17W77 0260 DKI DAC

area: 0220

12087 2014.06.09
2014.06.10
9 13 5 S20W35 0150 DSC DSI area: 0180

location: S18W35

12090 2014.06.10
2014.06.11
1 4 2 N25W23 0110 HSX CSO area: 0130
12091 2014.06.11
2014.06.12
      S08W84           plage
12092 2014.06.11
2014.06.12
5 9 7 S20W23 0010 CRO CRO area: 0030

location: S20W20

S3531 2014.06.11       S22W29           plage
S3532 2014.06.11       S29W52           plage
S3538 2014.06.15   6 3 S09E30 0020   CRO  
12093 2014.06.15
2014.06.16
8 15 9 S10E38 0060 CAO DRI location: S10E38
12094 2014.06.15
2014.06.16
1 2 2 S18E43 0090 HSX HAX area: 0140

location: S18E45

S3541 2014.06.15       S15W05           plage
S3542 2014.06.15       S06W32         plage
S3545 2014.06.16       S14W30           plage
S3546 2014.06.16       S08W47           plage
S3547 2014.06.16       N16E07           plage
S3549 2014.06.17   2 2 S20W01 0007   BXO  
12095 2014.06.17
2014.06.18
3 9 7 N05W71 0010 BXO BXI  
S3551 2014.06.17       S25W56         plage
S3552 2014.06.17       S22W87          
S3553 2014.06.18   2 1 N15W11 0006   BXO    
S3554 2014.06.18   2 1 S12W20 0007   CRO    
S3555 2014.06.18   1   N03E16 0003   AXX    
Total spot count: 38 74 44  
Sunspot number: 108 194 154  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 71 106 76  (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): 65 68 85 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 (75.8 projected, +0.4) 4.68
2014.01 157.4 152.4 82.0 (76.4 projected, +0.6) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.8 (cycle peak) (76.2 projected, -0.2) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 92.2 (76.6 projected, +0.4) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 (75.8 projected, -0.8) 7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (73.2 projected, -2.6) 5.75
2014.06 132.7 (1)   75.1 (2A) / 125.1 (2B) / 79.3 (2C) (70.5 projected, -2.7) (7.5)

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.