The geomagnetic field was quiet to active on September 22. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 459 and 695 km/s. An unexpected disturbance began early in the day and caused a single active interval. The Bz component of the interpanetary magnetic field was mostly northwards after 07h UT which led to quiet geomagnetic conditions after 09h UT.
Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 107.0 (decreasing 11.7 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 105.6. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 9 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 8.9). Three hour interval K indices: 22422211 (planetary), 22423321 (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: 196) and 10 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 147) SDO images on the visible solar disk.
Region 12415 [S19W78] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12418 [S15W48] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12420 [N10E49] was quiet and gained spots. The region has polarity intermixing. C and minor M class flares are
possible.
New region 12421 [N15E33] emerged on September 20 and developed quickly
on September 21 with SWPC numbering the region the following day.
New region 12422 [S20E51] emerged early in the day with several spots.
Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4766 [N18E06] was quiet and stable.
S4772 [S13W18] was quiet and stable.
S4774 [S09E07] developed slowly and quietly.
New region S4776 [S14W04] emerged with a few spots.
New region S4777 [N03W40] emerged with a penumbra spot.
C2+ flares:
Magnitude | Peak time (UTC) | Location | AR | Recorded by | Comment |
September 20: A partial halo CME was observed after an M2 LDE in AR
12415. It is uncertain if this CME has any Earth directed components.
September 21-22: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in
available LASCO imagery.
[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 (CH691) rotated across the central meridian on September 21-22.
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.
The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on September 23. If the CME observed on September 20 reaches Earth active and minor storm intervals will be possible. Effects from CH691 could cause quiet to minor storm conditions on September 24-25.
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 | ||||||||||
12415 | 2015.09.10 2015.09.11 |
3 | 3 | 1 | S18W81 | 0160 | DSO | HAX |
area: 0060 location: S19W78 |
||
12418 | 2015.09.12 2015.09.13 |
3 | 10 | 3 | S15W49 | 0170 | CAO | CAO | images/AR_12418_20150922_2345.png | images/AR_12418_20150921_2345.png | area: 0250 |
12419 | 2015.09.13 2015.09.15 |
N13W46 | |||||||||
S4761 | 2015.09.16 | N23W32 | |||||||||
S4766 | 2015.09.18 | 9 | 4 | N18E06 | 0020 | BXO | images/AR_S4766_20150922_2345.png | images/AR_S4766_20150921_2345.png | |||
S4767 | 2015.09.18 | S27W18 | |||||||||
12420 | 2015.09.19 2015.09.20 |
13 | 36 | 21 | N10E50 | 0280 | EKC | EKI | area: 0460 | ||
12421 | 2015.09.20 2015.09.22 |
7 | 14 | 5 | N15E32 | 0010 | BXO | DAO |
area: 0070 SWPC area and classification not supported by imagery |
||
S4772 | 2015.09.20 | 2 | 1 | S13W18 | 0004 | AXX | |||||
S4773 | 2015.09.21 | S18E15 | |||||||||
S4774 | 2015.09.21 | 9 | 3 | S09E07 | 0020 | BXO | |||||
12422 | 2015.09.22 | 3 | 9 | 6 | S20E49 | 0010 | BXO | DRO |
area: 0060 location: S20E51 |
||
S4776 | 2015.09.22 | 3 | 2 | S14W04 | 0008 | BXO | |||||
S4777 | 2015.09.22 | 1 | 1 | N03W40 | 0007 | AXX | |||||
Total spot count: | 29 | 96 | 47 | ||||||||
Sunspot number: | 79 | 196 | 147 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
Weighted SN: | 49 | 124 | 75 | (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): | 87 | 108 | 125 | 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) |
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 |
2014.05 | 129.7 | 132.9 | 112.5 | 115.0 (-1.4) | 5.75 |
2014.06 | 122.0 | 125.8 | 102.9 | 114.1 (-0.9) | 6.72 |
2014.07 | 137.4 | 141.8 | 100.2 | 112.6 (-1.5) | 4.50 |
2014.08 | 124.7 | 127.9 | 106.9 | 108.3 (-4.3) | 7.71 |
2014.09 | 146.6 | 148.1 | 130.0 | 101.9 (-6.4) | 9.78 |
2014.10 | 153.4 | 152.9 | 90.0 | 97.4 (-4.5) | 8.96 |
2014.11 | 154.8 | 151.4 | 103.6 | 95.0 (-2.4) | 9.33 |
2014.12 | 158.7 | 153.8 | 112.9 | 92.6 (-2.4) | 11.24 |
2015.01 | 141.9 | 137.3 | 93.0 | 89.8 (-2.8) | 9.46 |
2015.02 | 129.1 | 126.0 | 66.7 | 86.6 (-3.2) | 9.92 |
2015.03 | 125.9 | 124.6 | 54.5 | (82.1 projected, -4.5) | 16.14 |
2015.04 | 128.8 | 129.7 | 78.0 | (78.0 projected, -4.1) | 10.73 |
2015.05 | 120.0 | 122.6 | 90.0 | (75.3 projected, -2.7) | 8.29 |
2015.06 | 122.3 | 126.1 | 68.3 | (71.6 projected, -3.7) | 13.15 |
2015.07 | 107.0 | 110.8 | 66.4 | (67.9 projected, -3.7) | 8.83 |
2015.08 | 105.4 | 108.0 | 64.6 | (66.7 projected, -1.2) | 14.58 |
2015.09 | (94.7) | 41.3 (2A) / 56.3 (2B) / 71.6 (2C) | (67.0 projected, +0.3) | (19.6) |
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).
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.