Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on September 4, 2014 at 04:50 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update September 1, 2014)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update September 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update September 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update September 1, 2014)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update August 9, 2014)]

[POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated July 18, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on September 3. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 350 and 436 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 138 (increasing 2 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 133.3. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 8 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 7.8). Three hour interval K indices: 33221112 (planetary), 33333322 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class C1 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 9 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 186) and 9 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 142) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12151 [S08W73] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12152 [S15W24] decayed slowly. There is minor polarity intermixing and an M class flare is possible.
Region 12153 [S09W50] developed slowly and quietly.
Region 12154 [S18E23] gained a few spots and was quiet.
New region 12155 [S20E76] rotated into view with a large penumbra. C and M class flaring is possible.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3776 [N09W04] was quiet and stable.
S3786 [S22W11] was quiet and stable.
New region S3793 [S12E83] rotated partly into view.
New region S3794 [N15E71] emerged with a few spots near the northeast limb.

C2+ Flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR
C2.4 01:31   12149
C4.0 02:44    
M2.5 (LDE) 13:20   12155
C5.2 21:13   12149

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

September 1 and 3: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO imagery.
September 2: A filament eruption, mainly in the northwest quadrant and with extensions into the southwest and northeast quadrant was observed from approximately 16h UTC. A partial halo CME was observed later 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 southern hemisphere coronal hole (CH633) apparently closed on September 1 due to expanding AR 12152.

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.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on September 4-6. On September 5 and 6 there is a chance of weak effects from the CME observed on September 2.

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
12150 2014.08.22 1     S13W85 0030 HAX     rotated out of view
12151 2014.08.22
2014.08.23
2 2 2 S07W74 0080 HAX HAX  
S3765 2014.08.26       N13W50           plage
12153 2014.08.26
2014.08.29
10 15 9 S10W52 0090 DAO DAC area: 0280
12152 2014.08.26
2014.08.28
27 39 22 S15W26 0240 EAC EAC

beta-gamma

area: 0400

S3772 2014.08.29       S07W37           plage
S3774 2014.08.29       N05W36         images/AR_S3774_20140902_2345.png  
S3776 2014.08.30   9 4 N09W04 0020   AXX images/AR_S3776_20140902_2345.png  
S3778 2014.08.30       S13W55           plage
S3779 2014.08.30       N10W19         plage
S3781 2014.08.31       S08E37         plage
S3782 2014.08.31       N24W15         plage
12154 2014.09.01
2014.09.02
2 20 10 S19E22 0030 CRO DRI area: 0060
S3784 2014.09.01       S28W15           plage
S3785 2014.09.01       N26W55           plage
S3786 2014.09.02   2 1 S22W11 0010   AXX  
S3787 2014.09.02       N45E35         plage
S3788 2014.09.02       S31E04         plage
S3789 2014.09.02       S21W51         plage
12155 2014.09.03 2 5 3 S20E75 0090 HAX CKO   area: 0410
S3793 2014.09.03   2 1 S12E83 0080   HAX    
S3794 2014.09.03   2 2 N15E71 0015   DRO    
Total spot count: 44 96 53  
Sunspot number: 104 186 143  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 72 132 89  (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): 62 65 79 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
2013.05 131.4 134.3 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 75.4 (+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 (79.8 projected, +1.4) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 (79.2 projected, -0.6) 7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (76.6 projected, -2.6) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 (74.0 projected, -2.6) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 72.5 (71.0 projected, -3.0) 4.50
2014.08 124.6   74.7 (67.5 projected, -3.5) 7.7
2014.09 133.0 (1)   10.1 (2A) / 101.0 (2B) / 70.9 (2C) (63.3 projected, -4.2) (8.2)

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.