Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on August 11, 2022 at 03:25 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 7, 2022)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-25 (August 1, 2022) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24-25 progress (August 1, 2022) Noon SDO sunspot count 1K image / 4K (*)
  Solar cycles 1-24 (July 1, 2020) POES auroral activity level [October 2009 - December 2012]
  Comparison of cycles 21-25 (August 1, 2022) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12-14, 16, 24-25 (August 1, 2022) 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014
  Solar polar fields vs. solar cycles (April 10, 2022) Cycle 25 spots (final update December 25, 2019)
  Solar cycles 24-25 transition using 365d smoothing Research: Solar Cycle 25 Started on November 17, 2019 with 365 Days Smoothing

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled on August 10 under the influence of a high speed stream from CH1092. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 565 and 724 km/sec. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded quiet to minor storm levels.

Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 107.6 - decreasing 61.4 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 107.72). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 12 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 12.1). Three hour interval K indices: 23233333 (planetary), 23123242 (Boulder), 34233445 (Andenes).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B3 level (GOES 16).

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 10 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 177) and in 10 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 127) SDO/HMI images.

Region 13071 [S18W34] was quiet and stable.
Region 13074 [S17E03] was quiet and stable.
Region 13075 [N20E18] was quiet and stable.
Region 13076 [N15E30] was quiet and stable.
Region 13077 [S18W21] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region 13078 [S23E60] rotated into view early on August 9 and was numbered the next day by SWPC.

Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S7763 [N30W02] was quiet and stable.
New region S7764 [N14W39] emerged with tiny spots.
New region S7765 [S27W10] emerged with tiny spots.
New region S7766 [S08E78] rotated into view with a tiny spot.

An interesting region is approaching the southeast limb.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UT) Location Source Recorded by Comment
           

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

August 8-10: 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 coronal hole (CH1093) formed after a filament eruption in the southeast quadrant and was Earth facing on August 7-8. A recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH1094) will likely rotate across the central meridian on August 14-16.

Propagation

Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over upper middle and high latitudes is poor. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is fair.

Forecast

Quiet to unsettled conditions are likely on August 11-12 due to effects from CH1093. Quiet is likely on August 13-14.

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 officially numbered solar regions according to the Solar Region Summary provided by NOAA/SWPC, all other regions are numbered sequentially as they emerge using the STAR spot number. 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. SWPC data considered to be not sufficiently precise (location, area, classification) are colored red.

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/
USAF
Magnetic
(SDO)
SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
13070 2022.07.31
2022.08.01
      N15W76           location: N13W70
13071 2022.08.01
2022.08.03
1 5 2 S13W36 0070 HSX CSO

location: S18W34

area: 0120

13074 2022.08.04
2022.08.05
1 22 1 S16E01 0100 HSX CSO

area: 0160

location: S17E03

13075 2022.08.05
2022.08.07
  12 3 N18E12 0020   BXO location: N20E18
S7750 2022.08.05       N16W49          
S7752 2022.08.06       N22W31          
13076 2022.08.06
2022.08.07
1 6 1 N14E29 0120 HSX CAO location: N15E30
S7754 2022.08.06       S19W57            
S7755 2022.08.07       N29E19          
13077 2022.08.07
2022.08.09
6 19 11 S15W23 0050 CSO DRI location: S18W21
S7758 2022.08.08       S29W10            
S7761 2022.08.08       N08W26            
13078 2022.08.09
2022.08.10
1 2 1 S22E58 0050 HAX CAO location: S23E60
S7763 2022.08.09   1 1 N30W02 0003   AXX  
S7764 2022.08.10   5 3 N14W39 0011   BXO    
S7765 2022.08.10   4 3 S27W10 0015   BXO    
S7766 2022.08.10   1 1 S08E78 0004   AXX    
Total spot count: 10 77 27  
Sunspot number: 60 177 127  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 35 100 50  (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): 66 97 102  

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 (SC24 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)
2019.11 70.2 68.7 0.5 2.0 (-0.6)
(Solar minimum using 365d smoothing:
November 17, 2019)
4.19
2019.12 70.8 68.6 1.6 1.8 (-0.2)
(ISN 13 months smoothed
solar minimum)
3.22
2021.01 76.0 73.6 10.4 17.3 (+2.0) 4.39
2021.02 74.3 72.4 8.2 19.0 (+1.7) 9.50
2021.03 76.0 75.2 17.2 21.7 (+2.7) 10.17
2021.04 75.9 76.4 24.5 24.8 (+3.1) 8.40
2021.05 75.3 77.1 21.2 25.8 (+1.0) 6.50
2021.06 79.4 81.8 25.0 27.6 (+1.8) 5.52
2021.07 81.0 83.6 34.3 31.4 (+3.8) 5.51
2021.08 77.7 79.7 22.0 35.4 (+4.0) 6.19
2021.09 87.0 88.2 51.3 40.2 (+4.8) 6.33
2021.10 88.9 88.3 37.4 45.2 (+5.0) 7.38
2021.11 86.2 84.4 34.8 50.8 (+5.6) 9.83
2021.12 103.0 99.8 67.5 55.9 (+5.1) 6.40
2022.01 103.8 100.5 55.3 60.1 (+4.2) 8.92
2022.02 109.1 106.5 60.9 (65.8 projected, +5.7) 10.46
2022.03 117.0 115.8 78.6 (70.8 projected, +5.0) 10.20
2022.04 130.8 131.7 84.1 (75.9 projected, +5.1) 11.79
2022.05 133.8 136.8 96.5 (82.4 projected, +6.5) 7.48
2022.06 116.1 119.8 70.5 (88.3 projected, +5.9) 8.20
2022.07 125.4 129.5 91.4 (95.5 projected, +7.2) 9.51
2022.08 107.7 (1)   17.8 (2A) / 55.2 (2B) / 95.9 (2C) (102.0 projected, +6.5) (11.6)
2022.09       (106.9 projected, +4.9)  
2022.10       (110.1 projected, +3.2)  
2022.11       (112.9 projected, +2.8)  
2022.12       (117.7 projected, +4.8)  
2023.01       (123.7 projected, +6.0)  
2023.11       (142.5 projected max SC25)  

1) Running average based on the daily 20:00 UTC observed solar flux value at 2800 MHz and any corrections applied to that measurement.
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

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.