The geomagnetic field was quiet to active on May 11. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 340 and 388 km/s, likely under the influence of a recurrent co-rotating interaction region associated with CH667.
Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 163.0 (increasing 16.2 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 126.2. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 13 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 13.1). Three hour interval K indices: 44223223 (planetary), 45433233 (Boulder).
The background x-ray flux is at the class B6 level.
At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 17 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 339) and 14 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 229) SDO images on the visible solar disk.
Region 12335 [S16W72] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12337 [S18W48] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12339 [N12W06] lost the magnetic delta and some of the polarity
intermixing. An M class flare is still possible.
Region 12340 [S09E14] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12341 [S20E21] was quiet and stable.
Region 12342 [N18E36] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Region 12343 [N09E27] was quiet and stable.
Region 12344 [S10E58] was quiet and stable.
New region 12345 [N13E08] rotated into view on May 6 and was numbered by
SWPC 5 days later.
New region 12346 [S08E68] rotated into view on May 10 with SWPC numbering
the region the next day.
New region 12347 [N04E67] rotated into view on May 10 and received its
NOAA number the following day.
Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted
differently) by SWPC:
S4454 [S06W23] reemerged with a penumbra spot.
S4458 [N10W75] developed slowly and quietly.
New region S4459 [N12E38] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S4460 [S20W20] emerged with penumbra
spots.
New region S4461 [S07W34] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S4462 [S50E02] emerged with a penumbra spot.
Magnitude | Peak time (UTC) | Location | AR | Recorded by | Comment |
C2.5 | 03:45 | 12342 | GOES15 | ||
C2.0 | 18:42 | N11E01 | 12339 | GOES15 |
May 9-11: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed.
[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 extension (CH667) of the southern polar coronal hole rotated across the central meridian on May 8-9 and may be associated with a co-rotating interaction region. A recurrent southern hemipshere coronal hole (CH668) will probably rotate into an Earth facing position on May 14-15.
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.
The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active on May 12 due to effects from CH667 and a co-rotating interaction region, minor storm intervals are possible. Quiet to unsettled is likely on May 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.
(Click on image for 2K resolution)
Compare to the previous day's 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 overlays |
Comment | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SWPC | Magnetic (SDO) |
SWPC | STAR | Current | Previous | ||||||
2K | 1K | ||||||||||
12335 | 2015.04.30 | 4 | 6 | 4 | S16W71 | 0040 | CSO | CRO | area: 0025 | ||
12338 | 2015.05.02 2015.05.03 |
N05W54 | |||||||||
12337 | 2015.05.02 2015.05.03 |
5 | 1 | S17W52 | 0010 | AXX | location: S18W48 | ||||
S4438 | 2015.05.03 | N05W38 | |||||||||
S4439 | 2015.05.03 | N12W31 | |||||||||
12339 | 2015.05.03 2015.05.04 |
60 | 99 | 54 | N13W05 | 0760 | FKC | FKC |
beta-gamma-delta area: 1370 location: N11E07 |
||
S4441 | 2015.05.04 | N13W56 | |||||||||
S4442 | 2015.05.04 | S29W57 | |||||||||
S4444 | 2015.05.05 | S03W31 | |||||||||
S4445 | 2015.05.05 | S04W56 | |||||||||
12340 | 2015.05.06 2015.05.07 |
5 | 6 | 2 | S08E12 | 0020 | HRX | HRX |
|
||
12341 | 2015.05.06 2015.05.07 |
1 | 2 | 2 | S19E20 | 0100 | HSX | HSX |
area: 0130 location: S20E21 |
||
S4449 | 2015.05.06 | N26W50 | |||||||||
12345 | 2015.05.07 2015.05.11 |
3 | 7 | 5 | N12E02 | 0010 | AXX | BXO | |||
S4451 | 2015.05.07 | S17W34 | |||||||||
12342 | 2015.05.08 2015.05.09 |
5 | 10 | 4 | N18E35 | 0050 | DAI | DRO | |||
12343 | 2015.05.09 2015.05.10 |
6 | 10 | 4 | N10E25 | 0020 | CRO | DRO | |||
S4454 | 2015.05.09 | 1 | S06W23 | ||||||||
12344 | 2015.05.10 | 2 | 5 | 2 | S10E58 | 0060 | CSO | DAO | area: 0130 | ||
12346 | 2015.05.10 2015.05.11 |
1 | 5 | 3 | S12E69 | 0050 | HSX | CAO |
location: S08E68 area: 0090 |
||
12347 | 2015.05.10 2015.05.11 |
1 | 1 | 1 | N06E68 | 0020 | HSX | HRX | location: S04E67 | ||
S4458 | 2015.05.10 | 6 | 4 | N10W75 | 0025 | BXO | |||||
S4459 | 2015.05.11 | 2 | N12E38 | 0003 | BXO | ||||||
S4460 | 2015.05.11 | 2 | 2 | S20W20 | 0006 | BXO | |||||
S4461 | 2015.05.11 | 1 | 1 | S07W34 | 0004 | AXX | |||||
S4462 | 2015.05.11 | 1 | S50E02 | 0001 | AXX | ||||||
Total spot count: | 88 | 169 | 89 | ||||||||
Sunspot number: | 188 | 339 | 229 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
Weighted SN: | 134 | 209 | 129 | (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): | 113 | 119 | 126 | k * (sunspot number). k = 0.6 for SWPC, k = 0.35 for MSN 2K, k = 0.55 for MSN 1K (MSN=Magnetic Sunspot Number) |
Month | Average solar flux | International sunspot number (WDC-SILSO) |
Smoothed sunspot number | Average
ap (3) |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Measured | 1 AU | ||||
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) (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 | 78.5 (-1.2) | 4.50 |
2014.08 | 124.7 | 127.9 | 74.7 | 75.5 (-3.0) | 7.71 |
2014.09 | 146.6 | 148.1 | 87.6 | 70.8 (-4.7) | 9.78 |
2014.10 | 153.4 | 152.9 | 60.6 | 67.3 (-3.5) | 8.96 |
2014.11 | 154.8 | 151.4 | 70.1 | (64.9 projected, -2.4) | 9.33 |
2014.12 | 158.7 | 153.8 | 78.0 | (62.6 projected, -2.3) | 11.24 |
2015.01 | 141.9 | 137.3 | 67.0 | (60.4 projected, -2.2) | 9.46 |
2015.02 | 129.1 | 126.0 | 44.8 | (58.7 projected, -1.7) | 9.92 |
2015.03 | 125.9 | 124.6 | 38.4 | (56.3 projected, -2.4) | 16.14 |
2015.04 | 128.8 | 129.7 | 54.4 | (53.7 projected, -2.6) | 10.3 |
2015.05 | (134.4) | 36.2 (2A) / 102.0 (2B) / 85.7 (2C) | (51.5 projected, -2.2) | (8.0) |
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.