Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on August 20, 2020 at 04:00 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 19. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 308 and 411 km/sec.

Solar flux at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 70.5 - increasing 0.2 over the previous solar rotation.  (Centered average 90 day SF at 1 AU:  Minimum of 67.77 on December 9, 2018. Current: 72.2. Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU: Minimum of 69.13 on November 17, 2019. Current: 69.80). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 4 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 4.0). Three hour interval K indices: 32100001 (planetary), 33112411 (Boulder)

The background x-ray flux is at the class A1 level (GOES 16).

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 3 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 40) and in 1 active region using 1K resolution (SN: 13) SDO/HMI images.

Region 12772 [N17W47] decayed slowly. Late in the day there were signs that the region could be developing again as magnetic complexity increased. A magnetic delta could form in the central part of the region if development continues.

Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S6521 [S32W16] reemerged with tiny spots.
New region S6523 [S31E67] rotated into view with a tiny spot.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UT) Location AR Recorded by Comment
           

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

August 17-19: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in available LASCO imagery.
August 16: A CME was observed after a long duration B1.2 event in AR S6521. While the central parts of the CME are not Earth directed, there is still a chance of a relatively weak impact on August 20.

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 poorly defined northern hemisphere coronal hole (CH970) will be Earth facing on August 19-21.

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 quiet to unsettled on August 20-22 with a chance of active and minor storm intervals on August 20-21 should the August 16 CME arrive. On August 23-24 effects from CH970 could cause unsettled to active conditions.

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
12771 2020.08.11
2020.08.12
      S18W52            
S6514 2020.08.15       N02W48            
S6516 2020.08.15       N35W23            
12772 2020.08.16
2020.08.18
5 7 3 N18W47 0030 CRO DRO beta-gamma

area: 0050

S6518 2020.08.16       S17W23            
S6520 2020.08.16       N25W33            
S6521 2020.08.16   2   S31W16 0003   BXO    
S6522 2020.08.18       N15W06          
S6523 2020.08.19   1   S31E67 0002   AXX    
Total spot count: 5 10 3  
Sunspot number: 15 40 13  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 8 13 6  (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): 17 22 10 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) 4.28
2020.08 (72.5)   7.4 (2A) / 12.1 (2B) / 14.5 (2C) (9.6 projected, +1.3) (4.5)
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.