Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on May 27, 2014 at 02:05 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, 2014)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update May 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update May 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update May 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 April 17, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was very quiet on May 26. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 278 and 434 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 108.1 (decreasing 12.0 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 145.1. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 2 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 1.5). Three hour interval K indices: 11100000 (planetary), 11111211 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B5 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 10 active regions in 2K resolution (SN: 165) and 7 active regions in 1K resolution (SN: 108) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12065 [S18W86] continued to produce low level C flares as it rotated partly out of view.
Region 12071 [S10W19] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12072 [S18W72] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12073 [S13E01] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12074 [S13W75] was quiet and stable.
Region 12075 [S09E39] decayed slowly and quietly.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3466 [N12W28] reemerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3469 [N24W80] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3470 [S17W55] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3471 [N16W03] emerged with a penumbra spot.

C2+ Flares (SDO/EVE):

Magnitude Time (UTC) Location AR
C2.1 16:06 S21W90 12065

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

May 24-26: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO 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 coronal hole (CH619) in the northern hemisphere was in an Earth facing position on May 25-26.

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

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on May 27. Quiet to unsettled conditions are possible on May 28-29 due to effects from CH619.

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
12065 2014.05.14
2014.05.15
9 4 2 S19W87 0180 DAO CRO

 

S3444 2014.05.17       S25W37           plage
12069 2014.05.17
2014.05.18
      S19W57           plage
12071 2014.05.19 9 17 11 S11W18 0050 CSO CRO  
12072 2014.05.20 4 4 2 S19W72 0020 CRO BXO

area: 0040

12073 2014.05.20
2014.05.21
18 27 16 S11W01 0090 DAI DRI

location: S13E01

12074 2014.05.22
2014.05.23
9 7 5 S16W74 0090 DAI DAO

location: S13W75

12075 2014.05.23 1 2 1 S08E36 0080 HAX HAX location: S09E39
S3466 2014.05.24   1   N12W28 0002   AXX    
S3467 2014.05.24       S20E21         plage
S3468 2014.05.24       N18W56           plage
S3469 2014.05.26   1   N24W80 0004   AXX    
S3470 2014.05.26   1   S17W55 0003   AXX    
S3471 2014.05.26   1 1 N16W03 0006   AXX    
Total spot count: 50 65 38  
Sunspot number: 110 165 108  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 78 84 57  (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): 66 58 59 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 (75.6 projected, +0.6) 5.68
2013.12 147.7 143.1 90.3 (76.6 projected, +1.0) 4.68
2014.01 157.4 152.4 82.0 (77.6 projected, +1.0) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.8 (cycle peak) (77.4 projected, -0.2) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 92.2 (77.9 projected, +0.5) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 (77.0 projected, -0.9) 7.88
2014.05 134.9 (1)   105.8 (2A) / 126.2 (2B) / 95.9 (2C) (74.4 projected, -2.6) (5.9)

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.