Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on August 3, 2020 at 04:10 UT

Charts (* = updated daily) Data and archive
  Solar wind (*) Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (*)
  Electron fluence (*) Archived daily reports and monthly data since 2003.01 (August 1, 2020)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-25 (August 1, 2020) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24-25 progress (August 1, 2020) Noon SDO sunspot count 1K image / 4K (*)
  Solar cycles 1-24 (June 1, 2020) POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
  Comparison of cycles 21-25 (August 1, 2020) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12-14, 16, 24-25 (August 1, 2020) 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014
  Solar polar fields vs. solar cycles (July 6, 2020) Cycle 25 spots (final update December 25, 2019)
  Solar cycles 24-25 using 365d smoothing (*) Recent research
    Current research: Solar Cycle 25 Started on November 17, 2019 with 365 Days Smoothing

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on August 2. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 316 and 564 km/sec. A high speed stream associated with CH969 was observed arriving at DSCOVR just after 07h UT.

Solar flux at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 72.7 - increasing 4.2 over the previous solar rotation.  (Centered average 90 day SF at 1 AU:  Minimum of 67.77 on December 9, 2018. Current: 71.4. Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU: Minimum of 69.13 on November 17, 2019. Current: 69.56). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 9 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices:8.6). Three hour interval K indices: 01133323 (planetary), 12234223 (Boulder)

The background x-ray flux is at the class A4 level (GOES 16).

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 5 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 70) and in 2 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 23) SDO/HMI images.

Region 12768 [N28E11] was quiet and stable.
New region 12769 [N27E55] rotated into view early on August 1 and was numbered by SWPC the following day.

Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
New region S6507 [N22E84] rotated into view late in the day.
New region S6508 [N07E16] emerged with a tiny spot.
New region S6509 [S28W26] emerged with tiny spots late in the day.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UT) Location AR Recorded by Comment
           

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

July 31 - August 2: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in available 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 (CH969) was Earth facing on July 29-31.

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 fair.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active on August 3 and quiet to unsettled on August 4. Quiet conditions are likely on August 5-6.

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). 4K 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 SWPC date numbered
STAR detected
Spot count Location at midnight Area Classification SDO / HMI 4K continuum
image with magnetic polarity overlays
Comment
SWPC Magnetic
(SDO)
SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
12767 2020.07.21
2020.07.21
1     S22W85 0050 HSX    

rotated out of view

location: S20W85

12768 2020.07.27
2020.07.28
  11 1 N26W00 0020   BXO

location: N28E11

S6503 2020.07.28       N03W43            
S6504 2020.08.01       N01W28          
S6505 2020.08.01       N20W31            
12769 2020.08.01
2020.08.02
1 5 2 N26E53 0010 AXX BXO  
S6507 2020.08.02   1   N22E84 0030   HSX    
S6508 2020.08.02   2   S28W26 0002   BXO    
S6509 2020.08.02   1   N07E16 0002   AXX    
Total spot count: 2 20 3  
Sunspot number: 22 70 23  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 7 25 3  (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): 24 38 18 k * (sunspot number)
As of May 7, 2016: k = 1.1 for SWPC, k = 0.55 for MSN 2K, k = 0.80 for MSN 1K (MSN=Magnetic Sunspot Number)

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average solar flux International sunspot number
(WDC-SILSO)
Smoothed sunspot number (4) Average ap
(3)
Measured 1 AU
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 146.1 (cycle peak) 110.5 10.70
2014.04 143.9 144.8 112.5 116.4 (solar max) 7.88
2017.09 91.3 92.3 43.6 18.2 (-1.3) 18.22 (cycle peak)
2019.01 71.5 69.2 7.7 5.4 (-0.6) 5.89
2019.02 70.6 68.9 0.8 5.0 (-0.4) 6.88
2019.03 71.6 70.8 9.4 4.6 (-0.4) 6.12
2019.04 72.4 72.9 9.1 4.3 (-0.3) 6.06
2019.05 71.3 72.8 9.9 3.9 (-0.4) 6.98
2019.06 68.1 70.3 1.2 3.7 (-0.2) 4.26
2019.07 67.1 69.3 0.9 3.5 (-0.2) 5.36
2019.08 67.0 68.7 0.5 3.4 (-0.1) 6.79
2019.09 67.9 68.7 1.1 3.1 (-0.3) 9.81
2019.10 67.4 67.0 0.4 2.6 (-0.5) 7.53
2019.11 70.2 68.7 0.5 2.0 (-0.6)
(November 17, 2019
is the minimum using 365d smoothing
for 1 AU solar flux,
NOAA SN and both
of STAR 1K and 2K SN)
4.19
2019.12 70.8 68.6 1.6 1.8 (-0.2)
(ISN 13 months smoothed
solar minimum)
3.22
2020.01 72.2 69.9 6.4 2.2 (+0.4) 4.39
2020.02 71.0 69.3 0.4 (2.9 projected, +0.7) 6.16
2020.03 70.2 69.5 1.5 (3.5 projected, +0.6) 5.63
2020.04 69.5 70.0 5.4 (4.3 projected, +0.8) 5.32
2020.05 69.0 70.6 0.2 (5.4 projected, +1.1) 3.80
2020.06 69.5 71.7 5.8 (7.0 projected, +1.6) 3.75
2020.07 69.5 71.8 6.3 (8.3 projected, +1.3) 4.3
2020.08 (72.4)   1.4 (2A) / 22 (2B) / 9.1 (2C) (9.6 projected, +1.3) (5.8)
2020.09       (11.5 projected, +1.9)  
2020.10       (13.0 projected, +1.5)  
2020.11       (14.4 projected, +1.4)  
2020.12       (16.5 projected, +2.1)  
2021.01       (18.6 projected, +2.1)  

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).
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.
4) Source: SIDC-SILSO.

Solar cycles 24-25 transition

Smoothed SF and sunspot numbers

 

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 Universal Time. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

SDO images are courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.