Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on April 7, 2015 at 05:20 UT

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update April 1, 2015)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update April 1, 2015) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update April 1, 2015)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update April 1, 2015)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update April 1, 2015)]

[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 March 15, 2015]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on April 6. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 445 and 551 km/s.

Solar flux at 17h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 117.2 (decreasing 3.7 over the last solar rotation, the measurement at 20h UT was flare enhanced). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 128.2. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 4 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 4.4). Three hour interval K indices: 22101011 (planetary), 23113221 (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 10 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 178) and 8 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 120) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12318 [N08E31] was quiet and stable.
Region 12319 [S10W19] was quiet and stable.
Region 12320 [S12E16] developed polarity intermixing. Further C flares are possible.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4345 [N10E35] was quiet and stable.
S4346 [N16W10] decayed slowly and quietly.
S4348 [S15E27] was quiet and stable.
S4350 [N21W82] developed slowly and quietly.
New region S4352 [S19E33] was observed with penumbra spots.
New region S4353 [S37W33] emerged with a penumbra spot at a high latitude.
New region S4354 [S05W22] emerged with penumbra spots.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Recorded by Comment
C3.6 (LDE) 18:57     SDO/EVE filament eruption to the west of AR 12320
faint CME @ SOHO/LASCO C2
C4.5 19:06 S14E14 12320 SDO/EVE C3.0 @ GOES15 - peak 19:06 UT
impulsive flare superimposed on LDE

Flare activity according to SDO/EVE/ESP XRS-B proxy

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

April 4-5: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed.
April 6: A faint CME was observed after a C3 LDE near AR 12320. The CME could reach Earth on April 9.

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 trans equatorial coronal hole (CH662) was in an Earth facing position on April 5. No geomagnetic disturbances have been associated with CH662 during previous rotations.

Propagation

Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over upper middle latitudes is poor to fair. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on April 7-9. There is a slim possibility that a weak CME could arrive late on April 9 and cause a few unsettled intervals that day and on April 10.

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
12314 2015.03.25
2015.03.26
      S21W85            
12316 2015.03.27
2015.03.29
      S21W64            
S4329 2015.03.31       N14W43            
S4330 2015.03.31       N15W59            
S4331 2015.03.31       S31W31            
12317 2015.04.01 2     N09W90 0030 CAO     rotated out of view

actual location: N11W98

SWPC probably observed AR S4339!!

12319 2015.04.02
2015.04.04
2 4 2 S10W22 0000 AXX BXO area: 0010

location: S10W19

S4337 2015.04.02       N21W39            
S4339 2015.04.02       N08W85          
12320 2015.04.02
2015.04.04
24 38 18 S12E16 0150 DAI DAC

beta-gamma

12318 2015.04.03 10 20 12 N09E28 0040 CAI DRI location: N08E31
S4342 2015.04.03       S26W09          
S4345 2015.04.03   1 1 N10E35 0010   HRX  
S4346 2015.04.04   1 1 N16W10 0003   AXX  
S4347 2015.04.04       N27W28          
S4348 2015.04.05   3 2 S15E27 0008   BXO  
S4349 2015.04.05       S15W01          
S4350 2015.04.05   3 1 N21W82 0010   BXO  
S4351 2015.04.05       N31E23          
S4352 2015.04.06   5 3 S19E33 0012   BXO    
S4353 2015.04.06   1   S37W33 0002   AXX    
S4354 2015.04.06   2   S05W22 0003   BXO    
Total spot count: 38 78 40  
Sunspot number: 78 178 120  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 53 89 51  (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): 47 62 66 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
2013.11  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 80.5 (-1.4) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 79.7 (-0.8) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 72.5 78.6 (-1.1) 4.50
2014.08 124.7 127.9 74.7 75.6 (-3.0) 7.71
2014.09 146.6 148.1 87.6 70.9 (-4.7) 9.78
2014.10 153.4 152.9 60.6 (67.3 projected, -3.6) 8.96
2014.11 154.8 151.4 70.1 (64.7 projected, -2.6) 9.33
2014.12 158.7 153.8 78.0 (62.4 projected, -2.3) 11.24
2015.01 141.9 137.3 67.0 (60.2 projected, -2.2) 9.46
2015.02 129.1 126.0 44.8 (58.4 projected, -1.8) 9.92
2015.03 126.0 124.6 38.4 (56.1 projected, -2.3) 15.5
2015.04 (121.2)   11.4 (2A) / 56.3 (2B) / 63.5 (2C) (53.4 projected, -2.7) (7.9)

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.