Last major update issued on May 21, 2013 at 04:40 UTC.
[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated
daily)]
[Solar wind and
electron fluence charts (updated
daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update May 1, 2013)] [Cycle
24 progress (last update April 7, 2013) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last
update May 1, 2013)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and
24 (last update May 1, 2013)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006
(last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update
May 6, 2013)]
[POES auroral activity level since October
2009 - updated January 26, 2013]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated
May 12, 2013]
[Presentation
3rd
SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf)]
The geomagnetic field was quiet on May 20. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 350 and 426 km/s, weakly under the influence of CME effects.
Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 132.0 (increasing 14.5 over the last solar rotation). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 5 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 5.4). Three hour interval K indices: 21012222 (planetary), 31013223 (Boulder).
The background x-ray flux was at the class B6 level.
At midnight UTC the visible solar disk had 13 spotted active regions (in 2K resolution SDO images).
Region 11744 [N07W78] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 11745 [N14W53] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 11746 [S28W51] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 11748 [N13W17] still has a magnetic delta structure in the leading
penumbra. C and minor M class flaring is likely.
C5+ flares: C9.6/1B at 15:06 and C6.0 at
16:26 UTC.
Region 11750 [S09W81] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region 11753 [N04E63] rotated into view on May 19 and was numbered by
SWPC the next day.
New region 11754 [S19E50] rotated into view on May 18 and got its NOAA
number 2 days later.
Spotted regions not numbered by SWPC:
New region S2430 [S21E68] emerged near the southeast limb with several
spots.
New region S2431 [S17E38] emerged with a penumbra spot in the trailing
polarity of an old plage area.
New region S2432 [S17E54] was split off from AR 11754.
New region S2433 [N10E78] rotated into view.
C5+ flare: M1.7 long duration event peaking
at 05:25 UTC.
New region S2434 [N12W03] was split off from AR 11748.
New region S2435 [N28E12] emerged with a penumbra spot.
May 18-20: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO imagery.
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
No obvious coronal holes are currently in or near Earth facing positions.
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 poor.
The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on May 21-23.
| 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: 0-20% probability, Yellow: 20-60% probability, Red: 60-100% probability.
(Click on image for 2K 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 | Date numbered detected |
Spot count | Location at midnight | Area | Classification | SDO / HMI 4K continuum image with magnetic polarity overlay |
Comment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWPC | STAR SDO | SWPC | STAR | Current | Previous | ||||||
| 2K | 1K | ||||||||||
| 11744 | 2013.05.08 2013.05.09 |
1 | 1 | N06W79 | 0020 | CAO | AXX |
 |
 |
area: 0004 |
|
| 11745 | 2013.05.10 | 4 | 10 | 4 | N23W53 | 0150 | CAO | CSO |
 |
 |
typo in SWPC location data, position was N14W53 |
| 11746 | 2013.05.10 2013.05.11 |
4 | 6 | 1 | S29W51 | 0110 | CSO | CSO |
 |
 |
area: 0160 |
| 11747 | 2013.05.12 | S17W59 |
 |
plage | |||||||
| 11751 | 2013.05.12 2013.05.15 |
S23W43 | plage | ||||||||
| 11748 | 2013.05.13 | 25 | 23 | 12 | N12W15 | 0110 | EAI | DSO |
 |
 |
beta-gamma-delta |
| 11750 | 2013.05.14 2013.05.15 |
6 | 7 | 3 | S10W83 | 0100 | DAI | CAO |
 |
 |
area: 0180 |
| S2419 | 2013.05.14 | S17W18 | plage | ||||||||
| 11752 | 2013.05.15 2013.05.16 |
N18W80 |
plage |
||||||||
| S2424 | 2013.05.16 | S29W25 | plage | ||||||||
| S2425 | 2013.05.17 | S14W53 | plage | ||||||||
| 11754 | 2013.05.18 2013.05.20 |
1 | 4 | 2 | S16E50 | 0010 | AXX | CRO |
 |
 |
location: S17E54 area: 0025 |
| 11753 | 2013.05.19 2013.05.20 |
2 | 15 | 8 | N04E63 | 0060 | DSO | DAO |
 |
 |
|
| S2428 | 2013.05.19 | N02W35 |
 |
plage | |||||||
| S2429 | 2013.05.19 | S21W28 |
 |
plage | |||||||
| S2430 | 2013.05.20 | 8 | 4 | S21E68 | 0035 | BXO |
 |
||||
| S2431 | 2013.05.20 | 1 | 1 | S17E38 | 0004 | AXX |
 |
||||
| S2432 | 2013.05.20 | 1 | 1 | S17E54 | 0008 | HRX |
 |
||||
| S2433 | 2013.05.20 | 4 | 2 | N10E78 | 0180 | CAO |
 |
||||
| S2434 | 2013.05.20 | 2 | 1 | N12W03 | 0007 | AXX |
 |
||||
| S2435 | 2013.05.20 | 2 | N28E12 | 0003 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| Total spot count: | 43 | 84 | 39 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 113 | 214 | 149 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 73 | 120 | 75 | (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): | 68 | 75 | 82 | k * (sunspot number). k = 0.6 for SWPC, k = 0.35 for STAR SDO 2K, k = 0.55 for STAR SDO 1K | |||||||
| Month | Average measured solar flux | International sunspot number (SIDC) | Smoothed sunspot number | Average ap (3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011.11 | 153.5 (cycle max) | 96.7 (cycle max) | 61.1 (+1.2) | 5.55 |
| 2012.02 | 106.5 | 32.9 | 66.9 (+1.4) possible cycle 24 max |
8.81 |
| 2012.03 | 114.7 | 64.3 | 66.8 (-0.1) | 16.08 |
| 2012.04 | 113.0 | 55.2 | 64.6 (-2.2) | 10.10 |
| 2012.05 | 121.5 | 69.0 | 61.7 (-2.9) | 7.06 |
| 2012.06 | 119.6 | 64.5 | 58.9 (-2.8) | 10.08 |
| 2012.07 | 133.9 | 66.5 | 57.7 (-1.2) | 13.90 |
| 2012.08 | 115.4 | 63.0 | 58.1 (+0.4) | 7.96 |
| 2012.09 | 122.9 | 61.4 | 58.1 (-0.0) | 8.07 |
| 2012.10 | 123.3 | 53.3 | 58.6 (+0.5) | 9.97 |
| 2012.11 | 121.3 | 61.8 | (59.1 projected, +0.5) | 7.08 |
| 2012.12 | 108.6 | 40.8 | (58.4 projected, -0.7) | 3.44 |
| 2013.01 | 127.1 | 62.9 | (58.0 projected, -0.4) | 4.69 |
| 2013.02 | 104.3 | 38.0 | (58.2 projected, +0.5) | 6.11 |
| 2013.03 | 111.3 | 57.9 | (57.8 projected, -0.4) | 10.56 |
| 2013.04 | 124.8 | 72.4 | (57.4 projected, -0.4) | 5.40 |
| 2013.05 | 139.2 (1) | 93.2 (2A) / 144.5 (2B) / 81.4 (2C) | (57.5 projected, +0.1) | (7.99) |
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)
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 Potsdam
WDC
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.
