Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on November 17, 2014 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 October 1, 2014)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update November 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update November 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update November 1, 2014)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update November 1, 2014)]

[Noon SDO sunspot count 1K Reference: 4K (large file) (updated daily)]

[POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated October 11, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to active on November 16. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 558 and 776 km/s under the influence of a high speed stream from CH642.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 171.5 (decreasing 24.3 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 145.1 - the highest since May 26, 2014). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 18 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 17.8). Three hour interval K indices: 44333323 (planetary), 44443422 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B8 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 9 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 232) and 9 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 159) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12208 [S13W26] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12209 [S15E42] has a strong magnetic delta in the northern part of the trailing penumbra. Another major flare is possible.
Region 12210 [N09E05] was quiet and stable.
Region 12213 [S09E13] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region 12214 [S12E59] rotated into view on November 15 and was numbered the next day by SWPC.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3995 [N09E65] was quiet and stable.
New region S3997 [N22E18] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3998 [N02E49] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S3999 [N03W12] was observed with penumbra spots.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
C3.9 07:46 S12E51 12209  
C2.0 09:11 S10E47 12209  
C2.4 10:05 S10E47 12209  
C3.9 16:47   12209  
M5.7 17:48   12209  
C2.4 22:06 S12E43 12209  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

November 14-16: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO 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 northern hemisphere coronal hole (CH642) was in an Earth facing position on November 13-14. A recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH643) will rotate into a geoeffective position on November 16-18.

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 to good.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active on November 17-20 due to coronal hole high speed streams.

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
12205 2014.11.03 1     N15W92 0030 HSX    

rotated out of view

S3971 2014.11.07       S11W52           plage
12207 2014.11.07
2014.11.08
      S09W41         plage
S3973 2014.11.07       N18W55           plage
12208 2014.11.08
2014.11.09
4 29 12 S11W22 0010 BXO BXI  
S3978 2014.11.08       N19W56           plage
S3980 2014.11.09       N09W53           plage
12210 2014.11.10
2014.11.13
  4 1 N05W12 0008   AXX  
12211 2014.11.10
2014.11.13
      N08W84         plage
S3983 2014.11.11       S17W39           plage
12209 2014.11.12 23 78 38 S14E31 0940 FKC FKC beta-gamma-delta

location: S15E42

area: 1970

S3985 2014.11.12       S07E13           plage
12212 2014.11.12
2014.11.14
      N16W12         plage
S3987 2014.11.12       N29W54           plage
S3988 2014.11.13       N11W40           plage
12213 2014.11.14
2014.11.15
9 12 6 S09E12 0040 DAI DRI  
S3990 2014.11.14       S11W11         plage
S3991 2014.11.14       N10W34           plage
S3992 2014.11.14       S17W08           plage
S3993 2014.11.15       N24W03         plage
12214 2014.11.15
2014.11.16
4 11 8 S13E59 0020 CRO CRI  
S3995 2014.11.15   2 1 N09E65 0010   CRO  
S3996 2014.11.15       N26W19         plage
S3997 2014.11.16   1 1 N22E18 0003   AXX    
S3998 2014.11.16   3 1 N02E49 0008   BXO    
S3999 2014.11.16   2 1 N03W12 0006   AXX    
Total spot count: 41 142 69  
Sunspot number: 91 232 159  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 64 161 88  (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): 55 81 87 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
2013.07 115.5 119.3 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 77.3 (+1.3) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.3 (cycle peak) 78.4 (+1.1) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 91.9 80.8 (+2.4) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 81.9 (+1.1)
(likely solar max)
7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (80.3 projected, -1.6) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 (78.7 projected, -1.6) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 72.5 (77.1 projected, -1.6) 4.50
2014.08 124.7 127.9 74.7 (74.7 projected, -3.0) 7.71
2014.09 146.6 148.1 87.6 (71.5 projected, -3.2) 9.78
2014.10 153.4 152.9 60.6 (69.0 projected, -2.5) 8.96
2014.11 140.2 (1)   49.5 (2A) / 92.8 (2B) / 88.6 (2C) (67.3 projected, -1.7) (9.3)

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.