Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on November 5, 2014 at 05:15 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update October 1, 2014)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update November 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update November 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update November 1, 2014)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update November 1, 2014)]

[Noon SDO sunspot count 1K Reference: 4K (large file) (updated daily)]

[POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated October 11, 2014]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to active on November 4. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 389 and 470 km/s. A geomagnetic disturbance began after 05 UTC.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 129.4 (increasing 3.0 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 141.4. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 14 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 13.5). Three hour interval K indices: 21234333 (planetary), 11344333 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B6 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 16 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 246) and 14 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 188) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12197 [S14W77] was quiet and stable.
Region 12199 [S17W42] reemerged with penumbra spots.
Region 12200 [S17W21] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12201 [S05W03] developed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Region 12202 [N11W46] decayed quickly and could soon become spotless.
Region 12203 [N12W31] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12204 [N05E10] was quiet and stable.
Region 12205 [N14E73] has polarity intermixing and could produce further M class flaring.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3952 [N10W15] was quiet and stable.
S3957 [S21E04] was quiet and stable.
S3958 [N06W12] developed slowly and quietly.
S3960 [S07E46] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region S3962 [S15E51] emerged with a few spots.
New region S3963 [S22E74] rotated into view.
New region S3964 [S15E66] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S3965 [N11E36] emerged with penumbra spots.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
C2.1 04:18      
M2.6 08:38 N15E82 12205  
M2.3/1F 09:18 N15E82 12205  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

November 2-4: 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]

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

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 fair.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on November 5 and mostly quiet on November 6-7.

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
12197 2014.10.23
2014.10.24
2 3 1 S13W78 0020 HAX CRO  
12196 2014.10.23
2014.10.24
      S05W82           plage
12200 2014.10.28
2014.10.30
3 5 2 S17W20 0010 AXX CRO  
12199 2014.10.29
2014.10.30
  3   S17W47 0005   AXX    
S3948 2014.10.29       S10W43           plage
12201 2014.10.29
2014.10.30
8 20 12 S05W06 0030 DAI DAI

area: 0090

12202 2014.10.29
2014.10.30
8 3 2 N12W49 0010 BXO AXX  
S3952 2014.10.30   2   N10W15 0005   AXX    
12204 2014.10.31
2014.11.01
1 4 3 N05E08 0010 AXX CRO area: 0020
12203 2014.10.31
2014.11.01
6 11 6 N12W31 0120 DAO DAO

area: 0190

S3957 2014.11.01   5 2 S21E04 0010   AXX  
S3958 2014.11.02   4 3 N06W12 0020   CRO  
S3959 2014.11.02       N08W20           plage
12205 2014.11.03 1 16 9 N15E66 0100 EAC EAC beta-gamma

area: 0350

location: N14E73

S3960 2014.11.03   1 1 S07E46 0003   AXX  
S3961 2014.11.03       S07E26         plage
S3962 2014.11.04   4 3 S15E51 0030   CAO    
S3963 2014.11.04   1 1 S22E74 0030   HAX    
S3964 2014.11.04   2 2 S15E64 0010   BXO    
S3965 2014.11.04   2 1 N11E36 0006   AXX    
Total spot count: 29 86 48  
Sunspot number: 99 246 188  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 49 123 85  (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): 59 86 103 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
2013.07 115.5 119.3 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 76.0 (+0.6) 4.68
2014.01 157.4 152.4 81.8 77.3 (+1.3) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.3 (cycle peak) 78.4 (+1.1) 10.70
2014.03 149.9 148.5 91.9 80.8 (+2.4) 4.88
2014.04 143.9 144.8 84.7 81.9 (+1.1)
(likely solar max)
7.88
2014.05 129.7 132.9 75.2 (80.3 projected, -1.6) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 (78.7 projected, -1.6) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 72.5 (77.1 projected, -1.6) 4.50
2014.08 124.7 127.9 74.7 (74.7 projected, -3.0) 7.71
2014.09 146.6 148.1 87.6 (71.5 projected, -3.2) 9.78
2014.10 153.4 152.9 60.6 (69.0 projected, -2.5) 8.6
2014.11 124.5 (1)   12.2 (2A) / 91.3 (2B) / 79.7 (2C) (67.3 projected, -1.7) (8.3)

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.