Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on September 16, 2014 at 04:55 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 September 6, 2014)]

[POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated September 6, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was very quiet on September 15. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 379 and 495 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 133 (increasing 22.3 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 133.5. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 2 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 2.0). Three hour interval K indices: 00100001 (planetary), 11112211 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B5 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 12 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 221) and 11 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 163) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12157 [S15W71] decayed quickly and was mostly quiet.
Region 12158 [N16W65] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Region 12163 [S15W42] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12164 [S13W25] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12165 [S08E13] developed slowly and quietly.
Region 12166 [N12E29] was mostly quiet but could produce C flares and maybe even a minor M class flare.
Region 12167 [N08E41] decayed slowly and quietly.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3816 [S08W15] was quiet and stable.
S3821 [S07E55] was quiet and stable.
New region S3823 [S12E60] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3824 [S06W05] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S3825 [N13W27] emerged with penumbra spots.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
C3.1 00:20 S12W63 12157  
C2.9 02:04 N16W52 12158  
C2.2 18:15 N17W61 12158  
C2.3 20:51 N11E43 12166  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

September 13-15: 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]

An extension of a large southern hemisphere coronal hole was in an Earth facing position on September 15.

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 quiet on September 16-18.

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
12155 2014.09.03       S19W89           plage
12157 2014.09.03
2014.09.04
5 3 2 S15W74 0050 CAI CAO beta-gamma

location: S15W71

12158 2014.09.04 71 13 8 N16W66 0170 DSI DSC beta-gamma

SWPC count is obviously wrong, a typo?

12159 2014.09.05       S21W65           plage
12163 2014.09.06
2014.09.07
3 8 6 S15W42 0010 BXO BXO  
S3811 2014.09.09       S23W52           plage
12164 2014.09.09
2014.09.11
9 16 9 S14W26 0080 DAI DSO  
S3813 2014.09.09       N12W34           plage
12165 2014.09.10
2014.09.11
  15 5 S08E05 0030   BXO location: S08E12
S3816 2014.09.11   4 2 S08W15 0010   BXO  
S3817 2014.09.11       N09W15         plage
12166 2014.09.12 7 29 15 N12E28 0040 CAO DRI  
12167 2014.09.13
2014.09.14
1 2   N08E39 0000 AXX AXX area: 0005
S3821 2014.09.14   7 2 S07E55 0020   BXO  
S3822 2014.09.14       N16W02         plage
S3823 2014.09.15   1 1 S07E55 0008   AXX    
S3824 2014.09.15   1 1 S06W05 0005   AXX    
S3825 2014.09.15   2 2 N13W27 0007   BXO    
Total spot count: 96 101 53  
Sunspot number: 156 221 163  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 116 119 71  (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): 94 77 90 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 (80.3 projected, +1.9) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 (81.0 projected, +0.7) 7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (79.2 projected, -1.8) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 (76.6 projected, -2.6) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 72.5 (73.6 projected, -3.0) 4.50
2014.08 124.7 127.9 74.7 (70.1 projected, -3.5) 7.71
2014.09 146.8 (1)   71.0 (2A) / 142.0 (2B) / 85.0 (2C) (65.9 projected, -4.2) (8.6)

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.