Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on November 25, 2014 at 05:10 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 24. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 351 and 528 km/s.

Solar flux at 18h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 170.1 (increasing 2.9 over the last solar rotation, the measurement at 20h UTC was erroneous and should be ignored). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 148.0 - the highest since May 20, 2014). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 5 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 5.4). Three hour interval K indices: 21111221 (planetary), 21112221 (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 15 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 294) and 13 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 210) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12209 [S16W63] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12214 [S13W49] was quiet and lost the trailing spots.
Region 12216 [S13E15] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet. The region has minor polarity intermixing.
Region 12217 [S19E57] developed slowly, has polarity intermixing and could produce a minor M class event.
New region 12218 [N15E69] rotated into view on November 23. SWPC thinks AR S4020 is part of the same region, magnetically that is obviously not the case.
New region 12219 [N04E21] emerged with several spots.
New region 12220 [S17E29] emerged with a few spots.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4008 [N21E11] reemerged with penumbra spots.
S4017 [N06W10] was quiet and stable.
S4019 [S20W77] decayed slowly and quietly.
S4020 [N14E62] was quiet and stable.
New region S4027 [N15W42] emerged early in the day and decayed slowly later on.
New region S4028 [S05E44] was observed with a penumbra spot.
New region S4029 [N09E09] was observed with penumbra spots.
New region S4030 [N00E02] emerged with a penumbra spot.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
C4.1 11:04 S15E66 12217  
C2.2 16:12 S15E63 12217  
C2.5/1F 22:21 S18E62 12217  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

November 22-24: 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.

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 16 20 9 S15W69 0950 FKO EKO

location: S16W63

area: 0720

12214 2014.11.15
2014.11.16
  2 2 S12W47 0008   AXX  
12215 2014.11.15
2014.11.17
      N09W45           plage
S3998 2014.11.16       N02W55           plage
12216 2014.11.19
2014.11.20
23 56 34 S14E13 0720 DKC DKC

area: 0480

S4008 2014.11.19   3 1 N21E09 0008   BXO    
S4010 2014.11.20       N17W57           plage
S4012 2014.11.21       S03W07           plage
S4013 2014.11.21       N01W46           plage
12217 2014.11.22
2014.11.23
6 27 13 S19E57 0180 CKO EKC area: 0400
S4016 2014.11.22       N12E21           plage
S4017 2014.11.22   5 1 N06W10 0010   BXO  
S4019 2014.11.22   2   S20W77 0007   BXO  
S4020 2014.11.23   2 1 N14E62 0015   HRX  
12218 2014.11.23 2 1 1 N14E64 0120 CSO HSX SWPC incorrectly has AR S4020 and AR 12218 as one group
S4023 2014.11.23       N02E09         plage
12219 2014.11.24 2 12 9 N05E20 0010 BXO DRI   location: N04E21

area: 0050

12220 2014.11.24 2 7 5 S16E28 0010 AXX CRO   area: 0020
S4027 2014.11.24   2 2 N15W42 0008   BXO    
S4028 2014.11.24   1   S05E44 0002   AXX    
S4029 2014.11.24   3 1 N09E09 0008   BXO    
S4030 2014.11.24   1 1 N00E02 0002   AXX    
Total spot count: 51 144 80  
Sunspot number: 111 294 210  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 86 188 124  (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): 67 103 116 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
2014.11 149.5 (1)   71.2 (2A) / 89.0 (2B) / 82.6 (2C) (67.3 projected, -1.7) (10.0)

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.