Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on February 12, 2022 at 13:30 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 (February 1, 2022)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-25 (February 1, 2022) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24-25 progress (February 1, 2022) 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 (February 1, 2022) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12-14, 16, 24-25 (February 1, 2022) 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014
  Solar polar fields vs. solar cycles (August 22, 2021) 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 active on February 11 under the influence of CME effects until after 18h UT when a high speed coronal hole stream arrived. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded quiet to major storm levels.

Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 113.1 - decreasing 2.5 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 85.56). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 20 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 19.6). Three hour interval K indices: 33223554 (planetary), 23223543 (Boulder), 45332265 (Andenes).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B6 level (GOES 16).

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 12 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 197) and in 9 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 129) SDO/HMI images.

Region 12939 [S16W84] was quiet and stable. The region was the source of an M1.4 flare at 08:44 UT on February 12.
Region 12940 [N17W82] decayed further and could soon become spotless. C1 flares: C1.2 @ 12:50 UT
Region 12941 [N24W25] decayed early in the day, however, new flux emerged in the central parts after noon.
Region 12943 [S19E03] was quiet and stable.
Region 12944 [S26W82] decayed slowly and quietly.
New region 12945 [S19W33] emerged on February 10 and was numbered by SWPC the next day.
New region 12946 [S09E65] rotated into view on February 10 and developed slowly on February when it was numbered by SWPC.

Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S7347 [S17W72] produced a single C flare. C1 flares: C1.3 @ 10:20 UT
S7351 [N20E63] was quiet and stable.
New region S7352 [N20E08] emerged with a tiny spot.
New region S7353 [S23E63] emerged with a few spots.
New region S7354 [S23W32] emerged to the south of AR 12945 with tiny spots.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UT) Location Source Recorded by Comment
C2.5 17:12   12940 GOES16  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

February 9-10: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in available LASCO imagery.
February 11: A filament eruption centered near AR 12943 began near 11h UT. The main part of the associated CME appeared off the east limb, it is uncertain if there were any Earth directed component.

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 very well defined recurrent southern hemisphere coronal hole (CH1060) rotated across the central meridian on February 10. A small northern hemisphere coronal hole (CH1061) was Earth facing on February 11.

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 poor.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on February 12 and quiet to minor storm on February 13-14 due to effects from CH1060 and CH1061.

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
12939 2022.01.29
2022.01.30
1 1 1 S16W85 0120 HSX HSX

 

12940 2022.01.30
2022.01.30
1 1   N17W82 0030 HRX AXX

area: 0010

12944 2022.01.30
2022.02.10
4 1 1 S25W84 0020 CRO HRX  
12941 2022.02.02
2022.02.03
12 30 15 N24W28 0280 FKI FAO

beta-gamma

location: N24W25

12943 2022.02.06
2022.02.08
  4 1 S18E07 0004   BXO location: S19E06
S7344 2022.02.08       S20W41            
S7345 2022.02.08       S22E30          
12945 2022.02.10
2022.02.11
6 23 12 S21W35 0030 CRO DRI location: S19W33
S7347 2022.02.10   4 2 S17W72 0007   BXO  
S7348 2022.02.10       S04W05         maybe SC24 group
12946 2022.02.10
2022.02.11
2 6 4 S09E66 0090 DSO DAO area: 0120
S7351 2022.02.10   1   N20E63 0001   AXX  
S7352 2022.02.11   1   N20E08 0002   AXX    
S7353 2022.02.11   3 2 S23E63 0006   BXO    
S7354 2022.02.11   2 1 S23W32 0010   BXO    
Total spot count: 26 77 39  
Sunspot number: 86 197 129  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 55 98 60  (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): 95 108 103  

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
2020.07 69.5 71.8 6.1 9.0 (+1.1) 4.28
2020.08 71.6 73.4 7.5 9.5 (+0.5) 5.68
2020.09 70.7 71.4 0.7 10.5 (+1.0) 8.59
2020.10 74.6 74.2 14.6 11.9 (+1.4) 6.13
2020.11 89.9 88.0 34.5 13.6 (+1.7) 4.77
2020.12 86.9 84.2 23.1 15.3 (+1.7) 4.72
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 27.7 (+1.9) 5.52
2021.07 81.0 83.6 34.3 31.4 (+3.7) 5.51
2021.08 77.7 79.7 22.0 (36.2 projected, +4.8) 6.19
2021.09 87.0 88.2 51.3 (42.3 projected, +6.1) 6.33
2021.10 88.9 88.3 38.1 (46.7 projected, +4.4) 7.38
2021.11 86.2 84.4 35.0 (51.3 projected, +4.6) 9.83
2021.12 103.0 99.8 67.6 (57.2 projected, +5.9) 6.40
2022.01 103.8 100.5 54.0 (60.8 projected, +3.6) 8.92
2022.02 124.3 (1)   32.5 (2A) / 82.8 (2B) / 85.8 (2C) (65.5 projected, +4.7) (14.1)
2022.03       (71.0 projected, +5.5)  
2022.04       (76.1 projected, +5.1)  
2022.05       (82.6 projected, +6.5)  
2022.06       (88.4 projected, +5.9)  
2022.07       (95.7 projected, +7.3)  

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.