Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on February 28, 2015 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 February 1, 2015)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update February 1, 2015) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update February 1, 2015)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update February 1, 2015)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update February 1, 2015)]

[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 February 21, 2015]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on February 27. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 301 and 361 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 118.0 (decreasing 35.5 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 140.0. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 2 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 2.5). Three hour interval K indices: 00000112 (planetary), 00101211 (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 5 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 123) and 4 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 82) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12290 [N20W50] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12292 [S02W00] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12293 [N06E30] developed further and has a magnetic delta. C class flaring is possible.
New region 12294 [S14W14] emerged on February 26 and developed further on February 27.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
New region S4246 [N17E34] emerged with penumbra spots.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
         

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

February 25-27: 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]

An extension of the southern polar coronal hole will rotate across the central meridian on February 26-27 and could be associated with a co-rotating interaction region.

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 initially quiet on February 28. A co-rotating interaction region associated with an extension of the southern polar coronal hole could cause unsettled and active intervals on February 28 - March 2.

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
12289 2015.02.17
2015.02.18
      S10W51         images/AR_12289_20150226_2345.png  
12290 2015.02.18 3 6 4 N19W50 0030 CRO CRO  
S4239 2015.02.21       S21W30            
12291 2015.02.21
2015.02.22
      N13W72            
12292 2015.02.22
2015.02.23
  1 1 S08W03 0004   AXX

location: S08E05

12293 2015.02.23
2015.02.26
10 32 19 N06E29 0090 DAC DAC area: 0170
S4244 2015.02.26       S22E39          
12294 2015.02.26
2015.02.27
15 32 18 S14W14 0080 DAI DAI area: 0150
S4246 2015.02.27   2   N17E34 0004   BXO    
Total spot count: 28 73 42  
Sunspot number: 58 123 82  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 41 86 55  (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): 35 43 45 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
2013.10  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 80.5 (-1.4) 5.75
2014.06 122.0 125.8 71.0 79.7 (-0.8) 6.72
2014.07 137.4 141.8 72.5 78.6 (-1.1) 4.50
2014.08 124.7 127.9 74.7 (76.2 projected, -2.4) 7.71
2014.09 146.6 148.1 87.6 (73.0 projected, -3.2) 9.78
2014.10 153.4 152.9 60.6 (70.5 projected, -2.5) 8.96
2014.11 154.8 151.4 70.1 (68.8 projected, -1.7) 9.33
2014.12 158.7 153.8 78.0 (67.7 projected, -1.1) 11.24
2015.01 141.9 137.3 67.0 (66.5 projected, -1.2) 9.46
2015.02 129.1 126.0 70.7 (2A/2B) / 66.6 (2C) (64.9 projected, -1.6) 9.1
2015.03 ()       ()

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.