Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on June 18, 2014 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 June 1, 2014)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update June 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update June 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update June 1, 2014)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update May 1, 2014)]

[POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated June 4, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on June 17. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 345 and 517 km/s. A disturbance arrived late in the day.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 114.3 (increasing 0.4 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 140.2. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 7 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 6.8). Three hour interval K indices: 21211123 (planetary), 22322223 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B3 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 12 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 200) and 12 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 161) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12087 [S18W21] developed slowly. An M class flare is possible.
Region 12089 [N18W65] was mostly unchanged. C and M class flares are possible.
Region 12090 [N25W10] was quiet and stable.
Region 12092 [S20W07] developed slowly and quietly.
Region 12093 [S10E53] was mostly unchanged and stable. Occasional C flares are likely.
Region 12094 [S18E58] was quiet and stable.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3538 [S09E45] reemerged with a few spots.
S3542 [S06W19] reemerged with a few spots.
New region S3549 [S19E14] was observed with a penumbra spot.
New region S3550 [N05W57] emerged with a few spots.
New region S3551 [S25W43] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3552 [S22W74] emerged with a few spots.

C2+ Flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR
C4.7 05:10   12087
C3.0 08:19   12093

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

June 15: A CME was observed after the C5 event in AR 12092. While the core of this fairly narrow CME was headed to the southeast, there could be a weak Earth directed component.
June 16
: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO imagery.
June 17: A partial halo CME was observed after a C4 flare in AR 12087. The CME could have weak Earth directed components

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

No obvious coronal holes are currently in or near Earth facing positions.

Coronal hole map

Propagation

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

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on June 17 and mostly quiet on June 18-19.

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) 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 Magnetic
(SDO)
SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
12089 2014.06.07
2014.06.11
7 11 5 N17W62 0260 DKC DKC

area: 0420

location: N18W65

12087 2014.06.09
2014.06.10
8 19 11 S19W22 0150 DSC DSC area: 0250
12090 2014.06.10
2014.06.11
1 6 2 N25W10 0110 HSX CSO area: 0150
12091 2014.06.11
2014.06.12
      S08W71           plage
12092 2014.06.11
2014.06.12
5 16 5 S21W08 0010 BXI DRI area: 0030
S3531 2014.06.11       S22W16           plage
S3532 2014.06.11       S29W39           plage
S3537 2014.06.13       S19W51           plage
S3538 2014.06.15   4 3 S09E45 0013   CRO    
12093 2014.06.15
2014.06.16
5 9 5 S10E50 0060 CSO DAO location: S10E53
12094 2014.06.15
2014.06.16
1 1 1 S19E56 0090 HSX HSX area: 0140

location: S18E58

S3541 2014.06.15       S15E08           plage
S3542 2014.06.15   2 2 S06W19 0010   CRO    
S3543 2014.06.15       N12W48           plage
S3545 2014.06.16       S14W17         plage
S3546 2014.06.16       S08W34         plage
S3547 2014.06.16       N16E20         plage
S3549 2014.06.17   1 1 S19E14 0004   AXX    
S3550 2014.06.17   5 3 N05W57 0014   CRO    
S3551 2014.06.17   1 1 AXX 0004   AXX    
S3552 2014.06.17   5 2 CRO 0020   CRO    
Total spot count: 27 80 41  
Sunspot number: 87 200 161  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 57 125 86  (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): 52 70 89 k * (sunspot number). k = 0.6 for SWPC, k = 0.35 for MSN 2K, k = 0.55 for MSN 1K (MSN=Magnetic Sunspot Number)

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average solar flux International sunspot number
(WDC-SILSO)
Smoothed sunspot number Average ap
(3)
Measured 1 AU
2013.02 104.3 101.8 38.0 58.4 (-0.3) 6.11
2013.03 111.3 110.2 57.9 57.5 (-0.9) 10.56
2013.04 124.8 125.9 72.4 57.9 (+0.4) 5.40
2013.05 131.4 134.3 78.7 59.9 (+2.0) 9.73
2013.06 110.1 113.7 52.5 62.6 (+2.7) 12.60
2013.07 115.5 119.3 57.0 65.5 (+2.9) 9.47
2013.08 114.6 118.3 66.0 69.0 (+3.5) 8.27
2013.09 102.6 103.7 36.9 73.1 (+4.1) 5.23
2013.10  132.1 131.2 85.6 75.0 (+1.9) 7.71
2013.11  148.3 145.1 77.6 75.4 (+0.4) 5.68
2013.12 147.7 143.1 90.3 (75.8 projected, +0.4) 4.68
2014.01 157.4 152.4 82.0 (76.4 projected, +0.6) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.8 (cycle peak) (76.2 projected, -0.2) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 92.2 (76.6 projected, +0.4) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 (75.8 projected, -0.8) 7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (73.2 projected, -2.6) 5.75
2014.06 134.0 (1)   71.5 (2A) / 126.1 (2B) / 79.3 (2C) (70.5 projected, -2.7) (7.1)

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 WDC-SILSO 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 GFZ Potsdam WDC ap indices.

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 the UTC day. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

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