Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on March 28, 2015 at 06:00 UT.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update March 1, 2015)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update March 1, 2015) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update March 1, 2015)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update March 1, 2015)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update March 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 March 15, 2015]
[Presentations: 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf) / 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on March 27. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 349 and 454 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 137.8 (increasing 14.4 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 129.0. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 7 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 6.6). Three hour interval K indices: 32222111 (planetary), 22213212 (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 12 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 240) and 10 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 157) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12303 [N19W66] developed slowly in the trailing spot section.
Region 12305 [S10W11] lost the magnetic delta and produced only low level C flares.
Region 12307 [S19W39] decayed and could soon become spotless.
Region 12309 [N13W78] reemerged on March 26 (AR S4322) and developed quickly on March 27.
Region 12310 [N07E05] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12313 [N16E26] gained a few spots and was quiet.
Region 12314 [S22E57] was quiet and stable.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S4298 [S09W23] was quiet and stable.
S4310 [S20E01] was quiet and stable.
S4311 [S25E27] was quiet and stable.
S4313 [S03W26] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region S4323 [S21E72] rotated into view.

C2+ flares (GOES):

Magnitude Peak time (UTC) Location AR Comment
         

Flare activity according to SDO/EVE/ESP XRS-B proxy

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

March 25-27: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed.

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 could be associated with a potentially geoeffective co-rotating interaction region. The extension will rotate across the central meridian on March 26-28. A recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH661) will likely rotate into an Earth facing position on March 30-31.

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.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on March 28-30 with a chance of active to minor storm conditions due to a possible co-rotating interaction region associated with an extension of the southern polar coronal hole.

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
12303 2015.03.16
2015.03.17
1 9 4 N18W66 0050 CAO CAO impossible combination of classification and spot number by SWPC
12307 2015.03.19
2015.03.22
3 3   S19W29 0010 BXO AXX  
S4296 2015.03.19       N21W51            
S4298 2015.03.19   13 8 S09W23 0030   BXO images/AR_S4298_20150326_2345.png  
12309 2015.03.20
2015.03.22
2 4 3 N14W79 0060 DAO DAO area: 0200
12305 2015.03.20
2015.03.21
17 42 21 S09W10 0410 EKI DKC

area: 0600

S4301 2015.03.20       S03W49            
S4305 2015.03.22       S02W40            
S4306 2015.03.22       S13W51          
12310 2015.03.22
2015.03.23
2 26 10 N04E01 0010 BXO BXI images/AR_12310_20150327_2345.png area: 0050

location: N07E05

12312 2015.03.23 1     N08E12 0010 AXX       trailing part of AR 12310
S4308 2015.03.23       N21W41            
S4310 2015.03.23   4 1 S20E01 0008   BXO  
S4311 2015.03.23   2   S25E27 0003   BXO  
12313 2015.03.23
2015.03.24
1 10 5 N17E26 0030 HSX CAO

area: 0070

S4313 2015.03.24   1 1 S03W26 0003   AXX  
S4315 2015.03.24       S10E08            
S4316 2015.03.24       N09W19            
12314 2015.03.25
2015.03.26
2 5 3 S21E54 0020 CRO BXO  
S4320 2015.03.26       S03E15          
S4321 2015.03.26       S16E01          
S4323 2015.03.27   1 1 S21E72 0007   AXX    
Total spot count: 29 120 57  
Sunspot number: 109 240 157  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 57 145 82  (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): 65 84 86 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 75.6 (-3.0) 7.71
2014.09 146.6 148.1 87.6 (71.6 projected, -4.0) 9.78
2014.10 153.4 152.9 60.6 (69.2 projected, -2.4) 8.96
2014.11 154.8 151.4 70.1 (67.4 projected, -1.8) 9.33
2014.12 158.7 153.8 78.0 (66.3 projected, -1.1) 11.24
2015.01 141.9 137.3 67.0 (65.1 projected, -1.2) 9.46
2015.02 129.1 126.0 44.8 (63.6 projected, -1.5) 9.92
2015.03 (124.3)   53.3 (2A) / 61.1 (2B) / 59.5 (2C) (61.6 projected, -2.0) (16.6)

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.