Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on November 4, 2015 at 04:40 UT.

Charts (* = updated daily) Data and archive
  Solar wind (*) Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (*)
  Electron fluence (*) Archived daily reports and monthly data from 2003.01 (November 1, 2015)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-24 (November 1, 2015) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24 progress (November 1, 2015) Noon SDO sunspot count 1K Reference: 4K (large file) (*)
  Solar cycles 1-24 (July 17, 2015) POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012
  Comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (November 1, 2015) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (November 1, 2015) 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014
  Solar polar fields vs. solar cycles (October 13, 2015)  

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to minor storm on November 3 under the influence of effects from a co-rotating interaction region associated with CH697 early in the day and from CH697 later in the day. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 308 and 767 km/s.

Solar flux at 18h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 117.5 (increasing 37.0 over the last solar rotation. The measurement at 20h UT was enhanced by a C5 LDE in AR 12443). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 105.0. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 26 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 26.3). Three hour interval K indices: 23544453 (planetary), 23544342 (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 11 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 245) and 8 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 150) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12441 [N14W47] was quiet and stable.
Region 12442 [N16W66] developed a magnetic delta at the southern edge of the largest trailing penumbra. The region was the source of an impulsive M1.9 flare at 03:26 UT on November 4. Further M class flaring is possible. This is currently AR 12445 to SWPC.
Region 12443 [N06E03] decayed losing the magnetic delta. The region has polarity intermixing and an M class flare is still possible.
New region 12447 [N02E24] emerged with small spots.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4860 [N19E12] was quiet and stable.
S4865 [S13W17] reemerged with tiny spots.
S4869 [N16W26] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region S4871 [N03E79] rotated into view.
New region S4872 [N08E84] rotated into view.
New region S4873 [S13E06] emerged with a tiny spot.
New region S4874 [S08W42] emerged with tiny spots.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Recorded by Comment
C2.3 00:53 N06E17 12443 GOES15  
C3.9 17:00 N17W63 12442 GOES15  
C5.5 (LDE) 19:09 N07E10 12443 GOES15  

Flare activity (SDO/EVE/ESP XRS-B proxy)

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

November 1-3: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in available 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 trans equatorial coronal hole (CH697) was in an Earth facing position on October 30-November 1. The southernmost parts of a large northern hemisphere coronal hole will probably be numbered today as CH698.

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 minor storm on November 4 becoming quiet to unsettled on November 5 due to effects from CH697. Mostly quiet conditions are likely on November 6.

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 overlays
Comment
SWPC Magnetic
(SDO)
SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
12439 2015.10.22       N16W87            
12441 2015.10.27   1 1 N16W47 0003   AXX  
12442 2015.10.27
2015.10.28
  24 12 N16W76 0360   EKC

beta-gamma-delta

location: N16W66

 

12443 2015.10.28
2015.10.29
52 88 49 N06E03 0560 FKC FKC beta-gamma

area: 0720

12444 2015.10.28
2015.10.29
      S04W14            
S4860 2015.10.29   3   N19E12 0006   AXX  
S4861 2015.10.30       N11W14            
S4862 2015.10.30       S07W35            
S4865 2015.10.31   3 1 S13W17 0006   AXX    
12446 2015.10.31
2015.11.01
      N15W31          
S4867 2015.10.31       N32E04            
S4868 2015.10.31       S01W12            
12445 2015.11.01 10     N16W69 0200 EAC       part of AR 12442
S4869 2015.11.01   1   N16W26 0002   AXX  
12447 2015.11.03 3 9 4 N03E23 0020 CRO CRO    
S4871 2015.11.03   2 1 N03E79 0008   HRX    
S4872 2015.11.03   1 1 N08E84 0040   HAX    
S4873 2015.11.03   1   S13E06 0001   AXX    
S4874 2015.11.03   2 1 S08W42 0005   AXX    
Total spot count: 65 135 70  
Sunspot number: 95 245 150  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 83 166 101  (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): 105 135 128 k * (sunspot number)
As of July 1, 2015: k = 1.1 for SWPC, k = 0.55 for MSN 2K, k = 0.85 for MSN 1K (MSN=Magnetic Sunspot Number)

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average solar flux International sunspot number
(WDC-SILSO) (4)
Smoothed sunspot number (4) Average ap
(3)
Measured 1 AU
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 146.1 (cycle peak) 110.5 (+1.2) 10.70
2014.04 143.9 144.8 112.5 116.4 (+2.1) (solar max) 7.88
2014.09 146.6 148.1 130.0 101.9 (-6.4) 9.78
2014.10 153.4 152.9 90.0 97.3 (-4.6) 8.96
2014.11 154.8 151.4 103.6 94.7 (-2.6) 9.33
2014.12 158.7 153.8 112.9 92.2 (-2.5) 11.24
2015.01 141.9 137.3 93.0 89.3 (-2.9) 9.46
2015.02 129.1 126.0 66.7 86.1 (-3.2) 9.92
2015.03 125.9 124.6 54.5 82.2 (-3.9) 16.14
2015.04 128.8 129.7 75.3 78.9 (-3.3) 10.73
2015.05 120.0 122.6 88.8 (76.3 projected, -2.6) 8.29
2015.06 122.3 126.1 66.5 (72.6 projected, -3.7) 13.15
2015.07 107.0 110.8 66.4 (68.9 projected, -3.7) 8.83
2015.08 105.4 108.0 64.6 (67.7 projected, -1.2) 14.58
2015.09 101.7 102.7 78.1 (68.0 projected, +0.3) 15.78
2015.10 104.1 103.3 61.7 (67.1 projected, -0.9) 13.8
2015.11 (121.3)   9.2 (2A) / 92.3 (2B) / 80.7 (2C) (65.0 projected, -2.1) (12.8)

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).
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.
4) Updated to new data set from WDC-SILSO on July 1, 2015

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 Universal Time. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

SDO images are courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.