Last major update issued on December 10, 2005 at 05:45 UTC.
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The geomagnetic field was inactive to unsettled on December 9. Solar wind speed ranged between 278 and 322 (all day average 302) km/sec. An unexpected disturbance began at ACE just after 18h UTC. While solar wind density increased wind speed was still very low, so this disturbance appears to be caused by excess coronal mass carried along by the solar wind. Currently the geomagnetic field is quiet to active.
Solar flux measured at 20h UTC
on 2.8 GHz was 89.1. The planetary
A
index was 4 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap
indices: 3.6)
Three hour interval K indices: 10001113 (planetary), 10011223 (Boulder).
The background x-ray flux is at the class B1 level.
At midnight there were 5 spotted regions on the visible solar disk. The solar flare activity level was very low. No C class events were recorded during the day.
Region 10830 was quiet and stable.
Region 10832 decayed quickly and will likely rotate out of view at the southwest limb late today.
New region 10833 emerged in the southwest quadrant.
New region 10834 rotated into view at the southeast limb.
New region 10835 rotated into view at the northeast limb.
December 7-9: No obvious partly or fully Earth directed CMEs were observed in incomplete imagery.
Coronal
hole
history (since late October 2002)
Compare today's report with the
situation one solar rotation ago: 28
days ago 27 days ago 26
days ago
No obvious coronal holes are currently in or near Earth facing positions.
Processed SOHO/EIT 284 image at 13:06 UTC on December 2. The darkest areas on the solar disk are likely coronal holes.
The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active on December 10 and quiet on December 11-12.
Coronal holes (1) | Coronal mass ejections (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) Material from a CME is likely to impact Earth within 96 hours.
3) There is a possibility of either M or X class flares within the next
48 hours.
Green: 0-20% probability, Yellow: 20-60% probability, Red: 60-100% probability.
Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along east-west paths over high and upper middle latitudes is very poor to poor. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor. Trans Atlantic propagation conditions are normally monitored every night on 1470 kHz. Dominant stations tonight: WWNN Pompano Beach FL at 02h UTC, later Radio Vibración (Venezuela) as propagation deteriorated quickly.
Compare to the previous day's image.
Data for all numbered solar regions according to the Solar Region Summary provided by NOAA/SEC. 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 SEC or where SEC has observed no spots. SEC active region numbers in the table below and in the active region map above are the historic SEC/USAF numbers.
Active region | Date numbered | SEC spot count |
STAR spot count |
Location at midnight | Area | Classification | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10827 | 2005.11.30 | N08W62 | plage | ||||
10828 | 2005.12.01 | S07W61 | plage | ||||
10830 | 2005.12.02 | 2 | 1 | N11W15 | 0050 | HSX | |
10831 | 2005.12.04 | S07W71 | plage | ||||
10832 | 2005.12.08 | 4 | 2 | S15W72 | 0090 | DSO | area was 0020 at midnight, classification CRO |
10833 | 2005.12.09 | 3 | 5 | S17W52 | 0030 | CSO | classification was DAO at midnight |
10834 | 2005.12.09 | 1 | 2 | S07E77 | 0060 | HAX | |
10835 | 2005.12.09 | 1 | 2 | N19E78 | 0050 | HAX | |
Total spot count: | 11 | 12 | |||||
SSN: | 61 | 62 |
Month | Average solar flux at Earth |
International sunspot number | Smoothed sunspot number |
---|---|---|---|
2000.04 | 184.2 | 125.5 | 120.8 cycle 23 sunspot max. |
2000.07 | 202.3 | 170.1 | 119.8 |
2001.12 | 235.1 | 132.2 | 114.6 (-0.9) |
2004.10 | 105.9 | 48.0 | 35.9 (-1.6) |
2004.11 | 113.2 | 43.5 | 35.3 (-0.6) |
2004.12 | 94.5 | 17.9 | 35.2 (-0.1) |
2005.01 | 102.2 | 31.3 | 34.6 (-0.6) |
2005.02 | 97.2 | 29.2 | 33.9 (-0.7) |
2005.03 | 89.9 | 24.5 | 33.5 (-0.4) |
2005.04 | 86.0 | 24.4 | 31.6 (-1.9) |
2005.05 | 99.3 | 42.6 | 28.9 (-2.7) |
2005.06 | 93.7 | 39.6 | (28.1 predicted, -0.8) |
2005.07 | 96.4 | 39.9 | (27.6 predicted, -0.5) |
2005.08 | 90.5 | 36.4 | (25.7 predicted, -1.8) |
2005.09 | 91.1 | 22.1 | (23.6 predicted, -2.1) |
2005.10 | 77.0 | 8.5 | (21.6 predicted, -2.0) |
2005.11 | 86.3 | 18.0 | (19.2 predicted, -2.4) |
2005.12 | 95.1 (1) | 18.0 (2) | (16.4 predicted, -2.8) |
1) Running average based on the
daily 20:00 UTC observed solar flux
value at 2800 MHz.
2) Unofficial, accumulated value based on the Boulder (NOAA/SEC)
sunspot number. The official international sunspot number is typically
30-50% lower.
This report has been prepared by Jan Alvestad. It is based partly on my own observations and analysis, and partly on data from some of these solar data sources. All time references are to the UTC day. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
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