Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on November 24, 2014 at 05:15 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 November 22, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on November 23. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 365 and 596 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 173.1 (decreasing 14.7 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 147.6 - the highest since May 21, 2014). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 7 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 7.1). Three hour interval K indices: 22222221 (planetary), 12233322 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B9 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 9 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 188) and 8 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 132) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12209 [S15W51] decayed slowly producing a few C flares. An M class flare is still possible due to the persistent magnetic delta in the largest penumbra.
Region 12214 [S13W33] was quiet and stable.
Region 12216 [S13E29] decayed slowly with a few C flares occuring. An M class flare is possible.
New region 12217 [S18E69] rotated into view on November 22 with SWPC numbering the region the next day.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4017 [N08E02] was quiet and stable.
S4019 [S19W62] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region S4020 [N14E75] rotated into view.
New region S4022 [N15E82] rotated partly into view.
New region S4023 [N02E22] was observed with a penumbra spot.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
C2.0 04:27   12217  
C2.4 05:39 S12W42 12209  
C2.3 06:36   12217  
C2.1 09:00   12217  
C3.5 10:53   12217  
C2.4 16:14 S13W47 12209  
C2.7 18:10 S10E30 12216  
C2.3 18:46   12217  
C2.7 19:21   12217  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

November 21-23: 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 (CH644) could rotate into an Earth facing position on November 25.

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 mostly quiet on November 24-26.

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
12209 2014.11.12 21 31 16 S15W57 1000 FKI EKC beta-gamma-delta

location: S15W51

area: 1040

12213 2014.11.14
2014.11.15
      S08W84           plage
12214 2014.11.15
2014.11.16
  8 2 S12W33 0015   BXO  
12215 2014.11.15
2014.11.17
      N09W31           plage
S3998 2014.11.16       N02W42           plage
S4002 2014.11.18       N04W51           plage
12216 2014.11.19
2014.11.20
12 35 17 S13E28 0630 DKC DKC

area: 0800

S4008 2014.11.19       N15E18         plage
S4010 2014.11.20       N17W44           plage
S4012 2014.11.21       S03E06           plage
S4013 2014.11.21       N01W33           plage
12217 2014.11.22
2014.11.23
3 14 10 S19E68 0180 CAO DKO area: 0420
S4016 2014.11.22       N12E34         plage
S4017 2014.11.22   2   N08E02 0003   AXX  
S4019 2014.11.22   5 4 S19W62 0040   CRO  
S4020 2014.11.23   1 1 N14E75 0015   HRX    
S4022 2014.11.23   1 1 N15E82 0230   HSX    
S4023 2014.11.23   1 1 N02E22 0004   AXX    
Total spot count: 36 98 52  
Sunspot number: 66 188 132  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 61 139 93  (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): 40 66 73 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
2014.11 148.6 (1)   67.5 (2A) / 88.0 (2B) / 82.6 (2C) (67.3 projected, -1.7) (10.3)

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.