Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on May 19, 2020 at 07:40 UT.

Charts (* = updated daily) Data and archive
  Solar wind (*) Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (*)
  Electron fluence (*) Archived daily reports and monthly data since 2003.01 (May 1, 2020)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-24 (May 2, 2020) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24-25 progress (May 2, 2020) Noon SDO sunspot count 1K image / 4K (*)
  Solar cycles 1-24 (July 17, 2015) POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
  Comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (May 2, 2020) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (May 2, 2020) 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014
  Solar polar fields vs. solar cycles (March 18, 2020) Cycle 25 spots (December 25, 2019)

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on May 18. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 278 and 339 km/sec. A very weak disturbance began after noon with slowly increasing solar wind speed. The source is uncertain but could be related to CH963.

Solar flux at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 70.2 - increasing 1.1 over the previous solar rotation.  (Centered average 90 day SF at 1 AU:  Minimum of 67.77 on December 9, 2018. Current: 69.8. Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU: Minimum of 69.14 on November 17, 2019. Current: 69.14. Projected minimum in December 2019 at 69.0). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 3 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 2.9). Three hour interval K indices: 00001221 (planetary), 10012301 (Boulder)

The background x-ray flux is at the class A1 level (GOES 16).

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 5 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 56) and in 1 active region using 1K resolution (SN: 11) SDO/HMI images.

Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
New region S6445 [S15W60] emerged with a tiny spot.
New region S6446 [S12W30] emerged with tiny spots (cycle 24 polarity orientation).
New region S6447 [S35E31] emerged with a tiny spot.
New region S6448 [S20E32] emerged with a tiny spot.
New region S6449 [N32E58] rotated into view at the northeast limb on May 16. Tiny spots were observed 2 days later.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UT) Location AR Recorded by Comment
           

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

May 16-18: 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 poorly defined extension (CH963) of the southern polar coronal hole rotated across the central meridian on May 13.

Propagation

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

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on May 19-22 with a chance of unsettled intervals on May 19.

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). 4K 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 SWPC date numbered
STAR 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
S6442 2020.05.16       S23E55            
S6443 2020.05.17       S10W51            
S6444 2020.05.17       N18W38          
S6445 2020.05.18   1   S15W60 0001   AXX    
S6446 2020.05.18   2 1 S12W30 0005   BXO    
S6447 2020.05.18   1   S35E31 0001   AXX    
S6448 2020.05.18   1   S20E32 0001   AXX    
S6449 2020.05.18   1   N32E58 0001   AXX    
Total spot count: 0 6 1  
Sunspot number: 0 56 11  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 0 6 1  (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): 0 31 9 k * (sunspot number)
As of May 7, 2016: k = 1.1 for SWPC, k = 0.55 for MSN 2K, k = 0.80 for MSN 1K (MSN=Magnetic Sunspot Number)

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average solar flux International sunspot number
(WDC-SILSO)
Smoothed sunspot number (4) Average ap
(3)
Measured 1 AU
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 146.1 (cycle peak) 110.5 10.70
2014.04 143.9 144.8 112.5 116.4 (solar max) 7.88
2017.09 91.3 92.3 43.6 18.2 (-1.3) 18.22 (cycle peak)
2018.10 69.6 69.1 4.9 6.8 (+0.3) 6.49
2018.11 68.9 67.4 4.9 6.7 (-0.1) 5.78
2018.12 70.0 67.8 3.1 6.0 (-0.7) 6.10
2019.01 71.5 69.2 7.7 5.4 (-0.6) 5.89
2019.02 70.6 68.9 0.8 5.0 (-0.4) 6.88
2019.03 71.6 70.8 9.4 4.6 (-0.4) 6.12
2019.04 72.4 72.9 9.1 4.3 (-0.3) 6.06
2019.05 71.3 72.8 9.9 3.9 (-0.4) 6.98
2019.06 68.1 70.3 1.2 3.7 (-0.2) 4.26
2019.07 67.1 69.3 0.9 3.5 (-0.2) 5.36
2019.08 67.0 68.7 0.5 3.5 (0.0) 6.79
2019.09 67.9 68.7 1.1 3.1 (-0.4) 9.81
2019.10 67.4 67.0 0.4 2.6 (-0.4) 7.53
2019.11 70.2 68.7 0.5 2.4 (-0.2)
(solar minimum candidate)
4.19
2019.12 70.8 68.6 1.6 (2.6 projected, +0.2) 3.22
2020.01 72.2 69.9 6.4 (3.2 projected, +0.6) 4.39
2020.02 71.0 69.3 0.4 (4.3 projected, +1.1) 6.16
2020.03 70.2 69.5 1.5 (5.5 projected, +1.2) 5.63
2020.04 69.5 70.0 5.4 (6.9 projected, +1.4) 5.32
2020.05 (68.7)   0.0 (2A/2B) / 4.3 (2C) (8.4 projected, +1.5) (3.5)
2020.06       (10.1 projected, +1.7)  
2020.07       (11.4 projected, +1.3)  
2020.08       (12.6 projected, +1.2)  
2020.09       (14.6 projected, +2.0)  
2020.10       (16.1 projected, +1.5)  

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) Source: SIDC-SILSO.

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.