Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on November 16, 2014 at 07:15 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 15. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 469 and 688 km/s under the influence of a high speed stream. A high speed stream from CH642 arrived late in the day.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 160.6 (decreasing 12.5 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 144.5 - the highest since May 26, 2014). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 12 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 11.9). Three hour interval K indices: 33332124 (planetary), 33343324 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B7 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 13 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 272) and 10 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 166) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12205 [N14W78] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12207 [S10W24] was quiet and stable.
Region 12208 [S12W09] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12209 [S15E56] has a strong magnetic delta in the northern part of the very large trailing penumbra. A major flare is possible.
Region 12210 [N05E13] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12211 [N08W69] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12212 [N16E04] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region 12213 [S10E26] emerged on November 14 and was numbered the next day by SWPC.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3990 [S11E02] was quiet and stable.
New region S3993 [N24E10] emerged with penumbra spots early in the day, then decayed and had only one spot left at the end of day.
New region S3994 [S12E75] rotated into view with penumbra spots.
New region S3995 [N09E78] rotated into view with a penumbra spot.
New region S3996 [N26W06] emerged with a penumbra spot.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
M3.2 12:03 S09E63 12209  
M3.7/1N 20:46 S13E63 12209  
C2.7 23:36 S09E47 12209  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

November 13-15: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO 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 recurrent northern hemisphere coronal hole (CH642) was in an Earth facing position on November 13-14. A recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH643) will likely rotate into a geoeffective position on November 16-18.

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 good.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active on November 16-20 due to coronal hole high speed streams.

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
12205 2014.11.03 5 4 3 N14W78 0070 DAO HAX

 

S3970 2014.11.07       S05W50           plage
S3971 2014.11.07       S11W39         plage
12207 2014.11.07
2014.11.08
  6 4 S09W27 0010   AXX  
S3973 2014.11.07       N18W42           plage
12208 2014.11.08
2014.11.09
14 34 14 S12W10 0040 CAI DRI  
S3977 2014.11.08       S15W51           plage
S3978 2014.11.08       N19W43           plage
S3980 2014.11.09       N09W40           plage
12210 2014.11.10
2014.11.13
  2 1 N05E03 0005   BXO  
12211 2014.11.10
2014.11.13
1 4   N08W70 0010 AXX BXO  
S3983 2014.11.11       S17W26         plage
12209 2014.11.12 16 64 28 S15E45 0800 FKC FKC beta-gamma-delta

location: S15E56

area: 1250

S3985 2014.11.12       S07E26           plage
12212 2014.11.12
2014.11.14
1 5 3 N16E02 0010 AXX BXO  
S3987 2014.11.12       N29W41           plage
S3988 2014.11.13       N11W27           plage
12213 2014.11.14
2014.11.15
3 13 8 S09E26 0030 CRO DAI  
S3990 2014.11.14   3 3 S11E02 0009   BXO  
S3991 2014.11.14       N10W21         plage
S3992 2014.11.14       S17E05         plage
S3993 2014.11.15   1 1 N24E10 0003   AXX    
S3994 2014.11.15   4 1 S12E75 0010   BXO    
S3995 2014.11.15   1   N09E78 0006   AXX    
S3996 2014.11.15   1   N26W06 0003   AXX    
Total spot count: 40 142 66  
Sunspot number: 100 272 166  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 63 165 89  (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): 60 95 91 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) 8.96
2014.11 138.1 (1)   46.5 (2A) / 92.9 (2B) / 88.7 (2C) (67.3 projected, -1.7) (8.8)

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.