Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Last major update issued on May 26, 2011 at 04:45 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)
[Solar cycles 21-24 (last update May 1, 2011)]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update May 1, 2011)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update May 1, 2011)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update May 1, 2011)]

[POES auroral activity level charts since October 2009 - updated May 25, 2011]
Annotated geomagnetic activity charts - Carrington rotation 2108 [March-April 2011] - 2109 [April-May 2011]
[Solar polar fields - updated May 26, 2011] NEW

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on May 25. Solar wind speed ranged between 350 and 437 km/s.

Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 80.3 (decreasing 30.1 over the last solar rotation). The planetary A index was 4 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 3.8). Three hour interval K indices: 11101112 (planetary), 11111211 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class A9 level.

At midnight UTC the visible solar disk had 8 spotted regions.

Region 11216 was quiet and stable.
Region 11218 was quiet and stable.
Region 11219 was quiet and stable.
New region 11222 emerged in the northeast quadrant on May 20, became spotless on May 21, reemerged on May 24 and was numbered by NOAA/SWPC the following day.

Spotted regions not numbered by NOAA/SWPC:
[S1021] rotated into view at the southeast limb on May 21, became spotless on May 22, and then reemerged quickly on May 25. The region is developing quickly early on May 26 and further C flares are possible. Location at midnight: S17E28. Flares: C1.1 at 21:03 and C1.4 at 21:58 UTC.
[S1026] emerged in the northeast quadrant on May 25. Location at midnight: N11E45
[S1027] rotated into view at the northeast limb on May 25. Location at midnight: N17E82
[S1028] emerged in the southeast quadrant on May 25. Location at midnight: S22E20

Several near center disk filament eruptions were observed on May 25.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

May 23-25: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO imagery.

Coronal holes

Coronal hole history (since late 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 (CH450) was in an Earth facing position on May 24-25. A small trans equatorial coronal hole (CH451) will likely rotate into an Earth facing position on May 27.

The darkest areas on the solar disk are likely coronal holes.

Propagation

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

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on May 26 and quiet to minor storm on May 27-28 due to effects from CH450. Quiet to unsettled is likely on May 29-31 due to coronal hole streams.

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) 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: 0-20% probability, Yellow: 20-60% probability, Red: 60-100% probability.

Active solar regions

(Click on image for higher resolution image) 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 (blue-green) 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 polarity overlay
Comment
SWPC STAR SDO SWPC STAR Current Previous
11216 2011.05.15
2011.05.16
1 1 S15W52 0060 HSX HSX  
11218 2011.05.17
2011.05.18
  1 S16W28 0000   AXX

location: S17W17

S1018 2011.05.19     N17W48           plage
11222 2011.05.20
2011.05.25
2 1 N15W24 0010 BXO HRX formerly region S1019
11219 2011.05.21   4 N15E15 0000   AXX location: N13E18
S1021 2011.05.21   7 S17E28 0020   CRO    
S1024 2011.05.24     N29E15         plage
S1025 2011.05.24     N25W31         plage
S1026 2011.05.25   1 N11E45 0000   AXX    
S1027 2011.05.25   1 N17E82 0050   HSX    
S1028 2011.05.25   1 S22E20 0000   AXX    
Total spot count: 3 17  
Sunspot number: 23 97  

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average measured solar flux International sunspot number (SIDC) Smoothed sunspot number Average ap
(3)
2008.07 65.7 (SF minimum) 0.5 2.8 (-0.4)  
2008.12 69.2 0.8 1.7 (-)
sunspot minimum
3.25
2010.02 84.7 18.8 10.6 (+1.3) 4.15 / 4.61
2010.03 83.4 15.4 12.3 (+1.7) 4.58 / 4.65
2010.04 75.9 8.0 14.0 (+1.7) 10.22 / 10.24
2010.05 73.8 8.7 15.5 (+1.5) 9.18 / 8.15
2010.06 72.5 13.6 16.4 (+0.9) 8.17 / 6.85
2010.07 79.8 16.1 16.7 (+0.3) 6.31 / 5.15
2010.08 79.2 19.6 17.4 (+0.7) 8.49 / 7.77
2010.09 81.1 25.2 19.6 (+2.2) 5.33 / 5.45
2010.10 81.6 23.5 23.2 (+3.6) 6.07 / 6.27
2010.11 82.5 21.5 (26.9 predicted, +3.7) 4.80 / 5.50
2010.12 84.2 14.4 (30.1 predicted, +3.2) 3.41 / 4.35
2011.01 83.6 19.1 (33.1 predicted, +3.0) 4.32 / 5.51
2011.02 94.6 29.4 (35.6 predicted, +2.5) 5.41 / 6.44
2011.03 115.0 56.2 (37.9 predicted, +2.3) 7.79
2011.04 112.6 54.4 (40.8 predicted, +2.9) 9.71
2011.05 94.5 (1) 44.6 (2A) / 55.3 (2B) (44.1 predicted, +3.3) (6.88)

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). The official SIDC international sunspot number is typically 30-50% lower. 2B) Month average to date.
3) Running average based on the preliminary daily SWPC ap indices. Values in red are based on the official NGDC ap indices.

This report has been prepared by Jan Alvestad. It is based on analysis of data from whatever sources are available at the time the report is prepared. All time references are to the UTC day. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

SDO images are courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.