Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on January 26, 2022 at 09:25 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 (January 1, 2022)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-25 (January 1, 2022) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24-25 progress (January 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 (January 1, 2022) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12-14, 16, 24-25 (January 1, 2022) 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014
  Solar polar fields vs. solar cycles (August 22, 2021) 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 unsettled on January 25 due to a high speed stream from CH1056. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded quiet to minor storm levels.

Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 100.9 - decreasing 10.5 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 83.38). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 12 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 12.0). Three hour interval K indices: 23332323 (planetary), 13243323 (Boulder), 43212445 (Andenes).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B4 level (GOES 16).

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 7 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 130) and in 7 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 100) SDO/HMI images.

Region 12934 [S24E03] was quiet and stable.
Region 12935 [N27W08] developed early in the day, then began to decay slowly.
New region 12936 [N17E62] rotated into view on January 23 and was numbered by SWPC 2 days later. C flares are possible. C1 flares: C1.0 @ 09:26 UT
New region 12937 [S19E16] was first observed with spots on January 20, then new flux emerged on January 25 and the region was numbered by SWPC.

Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S7309 [S22W16] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region S7317 [N07W38] emerged with a small spot.
New region S7318 [N18E83] rotated partly into view. The region is unstable and could produce M class flares.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UT) Location Source Recorded by Comment
C2.1 05:53   12935 GOES16  
C3.7 10:29   S7318 GOES16  
C2.1 22:24 N18E90 S7318 GOES16  
C9.9 23:49 N18E90 S7318 GOES16  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

January 23-25: 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 trans equatorial coronal hole (CH1056) rotated across the central meridian on January 21-22. A recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH1057) was Earth facing on January 24-25.

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 to fair. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on January 26 due to effects from CH1056. The CME that was observed on January 22 could reach Earth on January 26 and cause unsettled to minor storm conditions. Quiet to unsettled conditions are likely on January 27 becoming quiet to active on January 28-29 due to effects from CH1057.

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
12932 2022.01.14
2022.01.15
      N32W77           location: N30W68
S7302 2022.01.18       N22W13            
12934 2022.01.19
2022.01.20
1 6 1 S25E01 0120 HSX CSO location: S24E03
S7305 2022.01.19       N23W38            
12937 2022.01.20
2022.01.25
3 20 10 S19E15 0010 CRO DAO area: 0100
S7309 2022.01.21   7 1 S22W16 0012   BXO  
S7310 2022.01.21       N23W03            
S7311 2022.01.21       S12W33            
S7312 2022.01.22       N17E11            
S7313 2022.01.23       S03W24           SC24 group
12936 2022.01.23
2022.01.25
5 13 9 N17E62 0030 CRO DAI area: 0150
S7315 2022.01.24       S20W56          
12935 2022.01.24
2022.01.24
4 10 7 N27W08 0030 CRO CRO area: 0060
S7317 2022.01.25   1 1 N07W38 0006   HRX    
S7318 2022.01.25   3 1 N18E83 0008   BXO  

 

Total spot count: 13 60 30  
Sunspot number: 53 130 100  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 27 81 51  (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): 58 72 80  

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
2020.06 69.5 71.7 5.8 7.9 (+2.3) 3.75
2020.07 69.5 71.8 6.3 9.0 (+1.1) 4.28
2020.08 71.6 73.4 7.6 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 8.3 19.1 (+1.8) 9.50
2021.03 76.0 75.2 17.3 21.8 (+2.7) 10.17
2021.04 75.9 76.4 24.5 24.9 (+3.1) 8.40
2021.05 75.3 77.1 21.2 25.9 (+1.0) 6.50
2021.06 79.4 81.8 25.3 27.8 (+1.9) 5.52
2021.07 81.0 83.6 34.4 (31.8 projected, +4.0) 5.51
2021.08 77.7 79.7 22.4 (36.5 projected, +4.7) 6.19
2021.09 87.0 88.2 51.5 (42.2 projected, +5.7) 6.33
2021.10 88.9 88.3 38.1 (46.6 projected, +4.4) 7.38
2021.11 86.2 84.4 35.1 (51.2 projected, +4.6) 9.83
2021.12 103.0 99.8 67.6 (57.0 projected, +5.8) 6.40
2022.01 100.5 (1)   41.5 (2A) / 51.4 (2B) / 61.2 (2C) (60.6 projected, +3.6) (8.8)
2022.02       (65.4 projected, +4.8)  
2022.03       (70.8 projected, +5.4)  
2022.04       (75.9 projected, +5.1)  
2022.05       (82.3 projected, +6.4)  
2022.06       (88.2 projected, +5.9)  

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.