Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on April 11, 2015 at 06:35 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 April 10, 2015]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to minor storm on April 10 under the influence of CME effects. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 348 and 480 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 115.1 (decreasing 0.5 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 126.6. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 29 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 28.9). Three hour interval K indices: 55544332 (planetary), 455433** (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B7 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 14 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 215) and 11 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 138) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12318 [N07W26] decayed early in the day, then new flux emerged in the leading section of the region.
Region 12319 [S10W76] was quiet and stable.
Region 12320 [S13W33] decayed slowly producing some C flares. The region lost the magnetic delta and has no polarity intermixing.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4345 [N12W15] reemerged with penumbra spots.
S4346 [N15W68] was quiet and stable.
S4348 [S14W24] was quiet and stable.
S4352 [S20W17] was quiet and stable.
S4355 [N00W12] reemerged with penumbra spots.
S4358 [S17E36] was quiet and stable.
New region S4362 [S04E42] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S4363 [N15E53] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S4364 [N10E59] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S4365 [N12E83] rotated into view. C and minor M class flaring is possible. The region was the source of a C4.7 flare at 02:41 on April 11.
New region S4366 [N17W25] emerged with a penumbra spot.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Recorded by Comment
C7.9/1N 08:03 S14W30 12320 GOES15  
C2.9 08:15   12320 GOES15  
C3.1 09:42   12320 SDO/EVE Also recorded by San Vito @ 09:41
C2.8 09:52 S15W29 12320 GOES15 C3.3 @ SDO/EVE
C2.7 19:27 S14W34 12320 GOES15  

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

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

April 8-10: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed.

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 (CH662) of the southern polar coronal hole could be associated with a co-rotating interaction region. The extension will rotate across the central meridian on April 12-13.

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 to fair.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active on April 11 due to CME effects. Quiet conditions are likely on April 12. A co-rotating interaction region associated with CH663 could cause unsettled to active conditions on April 13-14.

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
12319 2015.04.02
2015.04.04
  2 2 S10W83 0015   CRO

location: S10W76

12320 2015.04.02
2015.04.04
11 27 12 S13W39 0130 DAI DAI

location: S13W33

12318 2015.04.03 3 4 2 N07W23 0010 AXX CRO  
S4342 2015.04.03       S31W47          
S4345 2015.04.03   4 1 N12W15          
S4346 2015.04.04   2 1 N15W68 0008   BXO  
S4348 2015.04.05   2   S14W24 0003   AXX  
S4349 2015.04.05       S15W53            
S4351 2015.04.05       N31W29            
S4352 2015.04.06   14 3 S20W17 0020   BXO  
S4355 2015.04.07   3   N00W12 0005   BXO    
S4358 2015.04.07   3 1 S17E36 0007   AXX  
S4359 2015.04.07       N11E24            
S4360 2015.04.08       S10W01            
S4361 2015.04.09       S22E18          
S4362 2015.04.10   2 1 S04E42 0007   AXX    
S4363 2015.04.10   4 2 N15E53 0018   BXO    
S4364 2015.04.10   3   N10E59 0007   BXO    
S4365 2015.04.10   4 2 N12E83 0250   DAO    
S4366 2015.04.10   1 1 N17W25 0007   AXX    
Total spot count: 14 75 28  
Sunspot number: 34 215 138  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 19 91 44  (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): 20 75 76 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
2015.03 125.9 124.6 38.4 (56.1 projected, -2.3) 16.14
2015.04 (117.1)   16.4 (2A) / 49.1 (2B) / 65.8 (2C) (53.4 projected, -2.7) (9.1)

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.