Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on October 12, 2014 at 05:40 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 October 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update October 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update October 1, 2014)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update October 10, 2014)]

[New: Noon SDO sunspot count 1K 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 unsettled on October 11. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 326 and 380 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 112 (decreasing 27.3 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 131.8. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 9 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 9.0). Three hour interval K indices: 23333211 (planetary), 23333311 (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 9 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 129) and 7 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 88) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12182 [S15W83] decayed quickly and quietly.
Region 12184 [S24W29] was quiet and stable.
Region 12185 [S16W13] was quiet and stable.
Region 12186 [S22E22] was quiet and stable.
New region 12187 [S10E79] rotated into view and produced the only C class flare of the day.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3879 [N11W22] was quiet and stable.
New region S3894 [N20E48] emerged with a single spot.
New region S3895 [S17W52] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3896 [N18W03] was observed with a penumbra spot.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
         

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

October 9-11: 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]

No significant coronal holes are currently in or near Earth facing positions.

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 and improving.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on October 12-14.

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
12182 2014.10.01
2014.10.03
4 3   S15W83 0120 DAO BXO

 

12183 2014.10.01
2014.10.03
      N13W54         plage
12184 2014.10.02
2014.10.03
  10 4 S17W41 0020   BXO

real location: S24W29

S3879 2014.10.04   7 4 N11W22 0012   BXO  
12185 2014.10.05
2014.10.06
  5   S13W23 0009   BXO  
12186 2014.10.07 3 9 5 S20E19 0170 CSO CAO location: S22E22
S3883 2014.10.07       N17E20           plage
S3884 2014.10.07       S10W35           plage
S3887 2014.10.08       S08W10           plage
S3888 2014.10.08       S07W50           plage
S3889 2014.10.09       S08W46           plage
12187 2014.10.11 1 2 2 S08E79 0100 HSX CKO   area: 0270

location: S10E79

S3894 2014.10.11   1 1 N20E48 0006   HRX    
S3895 2014.10.11   1 1 S17W52 0006   AXX    
S3896 2014.10.11   1 1 N18W03 0003   AXX    
Total spot count: 8 39 18  
Sunspot number: 38 129 88  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 23 57 36  (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): 23 45 48 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
2013.06 110.1 113.7 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 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 (82.7 projected, +1.9) 7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (82.3 projected, -0.4) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 (81.1 projected, -1.2) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 72.5 (79.4 projected, -1.7) 4.50
2014.08 124.7 127.9 74.7 (77.1 projected, -2.3) 7.71
2014.09 146.2   87.6 (73.8 projected, -3.3) 9.78
2014.10 129.1 (1)   32.5 (2A) / 91.5 (2B) / 85.8 (2C) (71.4 projected, -2.4) (7.0)

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.