The geomagnetic field was quiet on December 23. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 310 and 405 km/sec. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded quiet to unsettled levels. A weak disturbance began after noon and appears to be caused by an unidentified positive polarity coronal hole.
Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 174.2 - decreasing 6.0 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 158.51. In comparison SC24 peaked on June 28, 2014 at 145.50. The next projected SC25 peak: 158.89 on July 7, 2023). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 5 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 5.0). Three hour interval K indices: 01212211 (planetary), 00322321 (Boulder), 20012303 (Andenes).
The background x-ray flux is at the class C1 level (GOES 16).
At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 11 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 289) and in 10 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 183) SDO/HMI images.
Region 13521 [N11W35] decayed further and was
quiet.
Region 13524 [N22W29] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 13526 [N13W08] decayed significantly and was quiet.
Region 13528 [N08W53] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet. C1 flares:
C1.5 @ 15:01, C1.4 @ 16:00 UT
Region 13529 [S20W13] was mostly quiet and stable. C1 flares: C1.2 @
21:46 UT
Region 13530 [N08E08] developed slowly and produced a few C flares.
C1.6 @ 07:56, C1.7 @ 15:19 UT
Region 13531 [S20E29] was quiet and stable.
Region 13532 [S14W71] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Region 13533 [N15E29] developed slowly and quietly.
Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted
differently) by SWPC/USAF:
New region
S9259 [N17E14] emerged with a tiny spot.
New region S9260 [N28E10] was observed with tiny spots in an
old plage area.
AR 13519 behind the southwest limb produced several C1 flares: C1.4 flare @ 05:24, C1.5 flare @ 05:43, C1.6 @ 05:58, C1.9 @ 12:34 UT
C2+ flares:
| Magnitude | Peak time (UT) | Location | Source | Recorded by | Comment |
| C3.1 | 09:14 | N06E17 | 13530 | GOES16 | |
| C2.9 | 09:42 | N06E17 | 13530 | GOES16 | |
| C2.2 | 14:32 | 13519 | GOES16 | ||
| C2.3 | 17:41 | 13530 | GOES16 |
December 21-23: No obviously Earth directed CME observed.
[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 negative polarity southern hemisphere coronal hole (CH1194) was Earth facing on December 18-19, but is likely too far to the south to cause a geomagnetic disturbance.
Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over upper middle and high latitudes is fair. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor.
The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on December 24 and quiet on December 25-26.
| Coronal holes (1) | Coronal mass ejections (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.
(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 | ||||||||||
| 13518 | 2023.12.12 2023.12.12 |
N13W77 |
location: N14W70 |
||||||||
| 13521 | 2023.12.14 2023.12.15 |
6 | 14 | 7 | N11W34 | 0050 | CSO | CAO |
 |
 |
area: 0070 location: N11W35 |
| 13523 | 2023.12.15 2023.12.16 |
N25W32 | merged with AR 13524 | ||||||||
| 13525 | 2023.12.15 2023.12.16 |
S05W57 |
 |
location: S09W45 |
|||||||
| 13522 | 2023.12.15 2023.12.16 |
S03W77 | location: S05W70 | ||||||||
| 13524 | 2023.12.15 2023.12.16 |
6 | 3 | N25W25 | 0012 | AXX |
 |
 |
location: N22W29 | ||
| 13526 | 2023.12.16 2023.12.17 |
8 | 29 | 9 | N15W09 | 0130 | CAI | CRI |
 |
 |
location: N13W08 area: 0090 |
| 13528 | 2023.12.16 2023.12.18 |
11 | 20 | 13 | N08W54 | 0200 | DAI | DKO |
 |
 |
area: 0380 location: N08W40 |
| 13529 | 2023.12.16 2023.12.18 |
5 | 32 | 15 | S20W12 | 0420 | EKO | EHO |
 |
 |
area: 0730 location: S20W13 |
| S9247 | 2023.12.17 | N14W24 | |||||||||
| S9248 | 2023.12.17 | S21W33 | |||||||||
| 13530 | 2023.12.18 2023.12.19 |
5 | 30 | 17 | N08E07 | 0030 | CRO | ERI |
 |
 |
beta-gamma location: N08E08 area: 0090 |
| 13532 | 2023.12.18 2023.12.22 |
2 | 9 | 3 | S15W71 | 0020 | BXO | CRO |
 |
 |
location: S14W71 |
| S9252 | 2023.12.19 | S18W26 |
 |
||||||||
| S9253 | 2023.12.19 | N19W06 |
 |
||||||||
| 13531 | 2023.12.19 2023.12.20 |
1 | 14 | 5 | S20E29 | 0090 | HAX | HHX |
 |
 |
area: 0330 |
| 13533 | 2023.12.19 2023.12.22 |
5 | 17 | 10 | N15E29 | 0020 | BXO | DRI |
 |
 |
area: 0090 |
| S9256 | 2023.12.20 | N29W08 | |||||||||
| S9258 | 2023.12.22 | N19W37 |
 |
||||||||
| S9259 | 2023.12.23 | 2 | 1 | N17E14 | 0010 | HRX |
 |
||||
| S9260 | 2023.12.23 | 6 | N28E10 | 0012 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| Total spot count: | 43 | 179 | 83 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 123 | 289 | 183 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 76 | 229 | 133 | (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): | 135 | 159 | 146 | ||||||||
| 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 (SC24 solar max) | 7.88 |
| 2017.09 | 91.3 | 92.3 | 43.6 | 18.2 (-1.3) | 18.22 (SC24 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 |
| 2022.04 | 130.8 | 131.7 | 84.0 | 73.0 (+4.3) | 11.79 |
| 2022.05 | 133.8 | 136.8 | 96.5 | 77.4 (+4.4) | 7.48 |
| 2022.06 | 116.1 | 119.8 | 70.3 | 81.1 (+3.7) | 8.20 |
| 2022.07 | 125.4 | 129.5 | 91.4 | 86.7 (+5.6) | 9.51 |
| 2022.08 | 114.2 | 117.1 | 74.6 | 92.6 (+5.9) | 10.92 |
| 2022.09 | 135.1 | 136.5 | 96.0 | 96.5 (+3.9) | 12.18 |
| 2022.10 | 133.5 | 132.7 | 95.5 | 98.9 (+2.4) | 11.16 |
| 2022.11 | 123.4 | 120.7 | 80.5 | 101.2 (+2.3) | 9.33 |
| 2022.12 | 147.9 | 143.4 | 112.8 | 106.7 (+5.5) | 10.99 |
| 2023.01 | 182.4 | 176.6 | 144.4 | 113.3 (+6.6) | 8.73 |
| 2023.02 | 167.2 | 163.2 | 111.3 | 117.8 (+3.5) | 14.48 (current SC25 peak) |
| 2023.03 | 157.2 | 155.6 | 123.3 | 121.0 (+3.2) | 14.42 |
| 2023.04 | 145.4 | 146.4 | 97.6 | 122.7 (+1.7) | 13.40 |
| 2023.05 | 155.6 | 159.2 | 137.4 | 123.9 (+1.2) | 10.67 |
| 2023.06 | 161.7 | 166.8 | 160.5 | (126.3 projected, +2.4) | 8.95 |
| 2023.07 | 176.4 | 182.2 | 159.1 | (127.1 projected, +0.8) | 8.15 |
| 2023.08 | 153.7 | 157.6 | 114.8 | (128.2 projected, +1.1) | 7.19 |
| 2023.09 | 154.4 | 156.0 | 133.6 | (130.4 projected, +2.2) | 14.26 |
| 2023.10 | 142.8 | 141.9 | 99.4 | (132.2 projected, +1.8) | 8.16 |
| 2023.11 | 153.5 | 150.2 | 105.4 | (134.1 projected max SC25, +1.9) | 12.20 |
| 2023.12 | 150.2 (1) | 92.4 (2A) / 124.5 (2B) / 153.6 (2C) | (132.7 projected, -1.4) | (11.6) | |
| 2024.01 | (130.0 projected, -2.7) | ||||
| 2024.02 | (129.9 projected, -0.1) | ||||
| 2024.03 | (129.3 projected, -0.6) | ||||
| 2024.04 | (130.1 projected, +0.8) | ||||
| 2024.05 | (132.2 projected, +2.1) | ||||
| 2024.06 | (131.5 projected, -0.7) | ||||
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: WDC-SILSO, Royal Observatory
Of Belgium, Brussels
Due to relatively low solar activity over the last couple of months, the possibility that solar cycle 25 has already peaked has increased significantly. Whether the first peak (and maybe solar max) will be in June or July depends on solar activity in December and early January 2024. If the average solar flux is less than 150 during this period, the first peak of solar cycle 25 using 365 day smoothing will likely be sometime between June 2 and July 9. Should the average solar flux instead become 140 then the peak date will be in early June (June 4 for solar flux, June 6 for STAR 2K SN, and June 7 for all the other sunspot numbers in the graph above). We won't know for a while yet when the final peak will be, however, it is interesting that the peak of SC25 could be as early as June 2023. The next update will likely be posted here in January 2024.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
