Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on May 23, 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 May 1, 2014)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update May 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update May 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update May 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 April 17, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on May 22. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 286 and 413 km/s. A geomagnetic disturbance began around 10h UTC and caused unsettled conditions for the remainder of the day. The source of the disturbance is likely a CME, as evidenced by ACE EPAM data.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 111.3 (decreasing 13.4 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 147.3. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 8 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 7.6). Three hour interval K indices: 11112323 (planetary), 22213423 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B2-3 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 9 active regions in 2K resolution (SN: 161) and 9 active regions in 1K resolution (SN: 118) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12061 [S24W73] was quiet and stable.
Region 12065 [S17W31] developed slowly as a negative polarity spot emerged in the middle of the positive polarity area.
Region 12066 [S17W81] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Region 12071 [S11E37] matured and was mostly quiet.
Region 12072 [S19W18] decayed quickly after a C4 flare early in the day.
Region 12073 [S11E50] was quiet and stable.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
New region S3459 [S13W19] emerged with several spots.
New region S3460 [S12E57] emerged with a few spots to the east of AR 12073.
New region S3461 [S19W38] emerged with penumbra spots.

C2+ Flares (SDO/EVE):

Magnitude Time (UTC) Location AR
C4.8 03:11 S19W07 12072

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

May 20-22: 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 small trans equatorial coronal hole (CH618) was in an Earth facing position on May 21.

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 to unsettled on May 23 and quiet on May 24-25. On May 24 there is a slight chance of unsettled intervals should a stream from CH618 reach Earth.

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
12061 2014.05.10
2014.05.11
1 1 1 S24W74 0100 HSX HSX  
S3422 2014.05.13       S23W42           plage
12063 2014.05.13
2014.05.14
      N09W67        

plage

12064 2014.05.13
2014.05.14
      N09W82           plage
12066 2014.05.13
2014.05.16
4 3 1 S17W79 0020 CRO CRO  
12065 2014.05.14
2014.05.15
  17 5 S17W31 0040   CRI  
S3436 2014.05.15       N08W43           plage
S3437 2014.05.15       N25W23           plage
12068 2014.05.16
2014.05.17
      S15W44           plage
S3444 2014.05.17       S25E08           plage
12069 2014.05.17
2014.05.18
      S19W01         plage
S3446 2014.05.17       N03W26         plage
S3448 2014.05.17       S35W37           plage
S3449 2014.05.18       N26W26           plage
12071 2014.05.19 9 23 7 S11E49 0100 DAI DAI area: 0220
12072 2014.05.20 5 9 3 S18W19 0010 BXO BXO

 

12073 2014.05.20
2014.05.21
1 2 1 S11E49 0050 HSX HAX area: 0080
S3457 2014.05.20       N20W33         plage
S3459 2014.05.22   10 6 S13W19 0040   DRI    
S3460 2014.05.22   4 2 S12E57 0020   DRO    
S3461 2014.05.22   2 2 S19W38 0005   BXO    
Total spot count: 20 71 28  
Sunspot number: 70 161 118  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 38 98 55  (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): 42 56 65 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 (75.6 projected, +0.6) 5.68
2013.12 147.7 143.1 90.3 (76.6 projected, +1.0) 4.68
2014.01 157.4 152.4 82.0 (77.6 projected, +1.0) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.8 (cycle peak) (77.4 projected, -0.2) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 92.2 (77.9 projected, +0.5) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 (77.0 projected, -0.9) 7.88
2014.05 138.8 (1)   90.2 (2A) / 127.0 (2B) / 96.0 (2C) (74.4 projected, -2.6) (5.6)

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.