Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on April 10, 2022 at 08:00 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 (March 1, 2022)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-25 (March 1, 2022) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24-25 progress (March 1, 2022) Noon SDO sunspot count 1K image / 4K (*)
  Solar cycles 1-24 (June 1, 2020) POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
  Comparison of cycles 21-25 (March 1, 2022) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12-14, 16, 24-25 (March 1, 2022) 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014
  Solar polar fields vs. solar cycles (April 10, 2022) Cycle 25 spots (final update December 25, 2019)
  Solar cycles 24-25 transition using 365d smoothing Research: Solar Cycle 25 Started on November 17, 2019 with 365 Days Smoothing

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to active on April 9 under the influence of CME effects during most of the day. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded quiet to minor storm levels. A high speed stream associated with CH1072 became the dominant solar wind source late in the day and caused unsettled to major storm conditions early on April 10.

Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 107 - decreasing 15.9 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 91.41). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 17 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 16.8). Three hour interval K indices: 44433431 (planetary), 34343532 (Boulder), 54434341 (Andenes).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B3 level (GOES 16).

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 6 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 101) and in 5 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 65) SDO/HMI images.

Region 12983 [N22W58] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Region 12985 [S21W08] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12987 [S30E22] decayed slowly and quietly.

Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S7479 [N15W60] was quiet and stable.
S7481 [S23E27] was quiet and stable.
S7484 [N23E12] reemerged with tiny spots.

AR 12978 produced several C flares while rotating out of view at the southwest limb. C1 flares: C1.2 @ 03:28, C1.0 @ 07:33, C1.1 @ 19:00 UT.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UT) Location Source Recorded by Comment
C4.7 11:24   12978 GOES16  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

April 7-9: 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 southern hemisphere coronal hole (CH1072) was in an Earth facing position on April 7-8. A trans equatorial coronal hole (CH1073) could rotate across the central meridian on April 11-12.

Propagation

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

Forecast

Quiet to major storm conditions are likely on April 10 becoming quiet to unsettled on April 11 due to a high speed stream from CH1072. Quiet conditions are likely on April 12-13.

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 officially numbered solar regions according to the Solar Region Summary provided by NOAA/SWPC, all other regions are numbered sequentially as they emerge using the STAR spot number. 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. SWPC data considered to be not sufficiently precise (location, area, classification) are colored red.

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/
USAF
Magnetic
(SDO)
SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
12978 2022.03.27
2022.03.27
1     S17W95 0060 HSX     rotated out of view
12982 2022.03.29
2022.04.01
      S22W59            
12983 2022.03.30
2022.04.02
3 10 6 N21W62 0030 BXO CRO location: N22W58
12985 2022.04.02
2022.04.03
3 17 5 S20W11 0020 BXO BXO

location: S21W08

S7479 2022.04.04   1 1 N15W60 0003   AXX  
12987 2022.04.04
2022.04.07
  3   S31E21 0003   AXX location: S30E22
S7481 2022.04.06   4 1 S23E27 0005   BXO  
S7483 2022.04.06       S13E19            
S7484 2022.04.07   6 2 N23E12 0010   BXO    
S7485 2022.04.07       N27W05            
S7486 2022.04.08       N33W22          
Total spot count: 7 41 15  
Sunspot number: 37 101 65  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 12 44 18  (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): 41 56 52  

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 (SC24 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)
2019.11 70.2 68.7 0.5 2.0 (-0.6)
(Solar minimum using 365d smoothing:
November 17, 2019)
4.19
2019.12 70.8 68.6 1.6 1.8 (-0.2)
(ISN 13 months smoothed
solar minimum)
3.22
2020.08 71.6 73.4 7.5 9.5 (+0.5) 5.68
2020.09 70.7 71.4 0.7 10.5 (+1.0) 8.59
2020.10 74.6 74.2 14.6 11.9 (+1.4) 6.13
2020.11 89.9 88.0 34.5 13.6 (+1.7) 4.77
2020.12 86.9 84.2 23.1 15.3 (+1.7) 4.72
2021.01 76.0 73.6 10.4 17.3 (+2.0) 4.39
2021.02 74.3 72.4 8.2 19.0 (+1.7) 9.50
2021.03 76.0 75.2 17.2 21.7 (+2.7) 10.17
2021.04 75.9 76.4 24.5 24.8 (+3.1) 8.40
2021.05 75.3 77.1 21.2 25.8 (+1.0) 6.50
2021.06 79.4 81.8 25.0 27.7 (+1.9) 5.52
2021.07 81.0 83.6 34.3 31.4 (+3.7) 5.51
2021.08 77.7 79.7 22.0 35.3 (+3.9) 6.19
2021.09 87.0 88.2 51.3 40.0 (+4.7) 6.33
2021.10 88.9 88.3 38.1 (44.9 projected, +4.9) 7.38
2021.11 86.2 84.4 35.0 (50.5 projected, +5.6) 9.83
2021.12 103.0 99.8 67.6 (56.4 projected, +5.9) 6.40
2022.01 103.8 100.5 54.0 (60.0 projected, +3.6) 8.92
2022.02 109.1 106.5 59.7 (64.8 projected, +4.8) 10.46
2022.03 117.0 115.8 78.3 (70.2 projected, +5.4) 10.1
2022.04 125.0 (1)   23.7 (2A) / 79.1 (2B) / 90.2 (2C) (75.4 projected, +5.2) (10.5)
2022.05       (81.8 projected, +6.4)  
2022.06       (87.7 projected, +5.9)  
2022.07       (94.9 projected, +7.2)  
2022.08       (101.6 projected, +6.7)  
2022.09       (106.6 projected, +5.0)  

1) Running average based on the daily 20:00 UTC observed solar flux value at 2800 MHz and any corrections applied to that measurement.
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.

Solar cycles 24-25

Smoothed SF and sunspot numbers

 

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.