The geomagnetic field was quiet to minor storm on March 31 due to effects from CH1138. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 484 and 711 km/sec. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded unsettled to severe storm levels.
Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 129.3 - decreasing 52.3 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 138.54). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 20 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 19.9). Three hour interval K indices: 45342234 (planetary), 343422** (Boulder), 56434476 (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: 179) and in 10 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 119) SDO/HMI images.
Region 13262 [S18W46] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Region 13264 [N16W19] was quiet and stable.
Region 13265 [N21W74] was quiet and stable.
Region 13266 [N09E15] was quiet and stable.
Region 13267 [S18E20] developed slowly and was mostly quiet.
Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted
differently) by SWPC:
S8407 [S20W32] was quiet and stable.
S8408 [N12E3|9] developed slowly and was quiet.
S8412 [N18W32] decayed slowly and quietly.
S8414 [S24E70] was quiet and stable.
New region S8415 [S16W17] emerged before noon, then decayed
slowly.
New region S8416 [S22W39] emerged with tiny spots.
New region S8417 [S14W04] was observed with
tiny spots in an old plage area.
AR 13256 produced a few flares while rotating out of
view. C1 flares: C1.3 @ 01:47, C1.2 @ 02:37, C1.2 @ 05:36, C1.0 @ 10:00,
C1.1 @ 11:16, C1.1 @ 13:54, C1.1 @ 17:25 UT.
AR 13260 was likely the source of a C1.6 flare at 14:46 UT
AR 13267 was the source of a C1.9 flare at 23:50 UT.
C2+ flares:
| Magnitude | Peak time (UT) | Location | Source | Recorded by | Comment |
| C4.4 | 09:09 | 13260 | GOES16 | ||
| C9.7/1F | 20:57 | behind SW limb | 13256 | GOES16 |
March 29-31: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were 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 recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH1138) was Earth facing on March 27-29. A small southern hemisphere coronal hole (CH1139) will likely rotate across the central meridian on April 1.
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.
Quiet to active conditions are expected April 1 due to effects from CH1138. Quiet conditions are likely on April 2-3. April 4-5 could see quiet to active conditions due to effects from CH1139.
| 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.
(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 | ||||||||||
| 13257 | 2023.03.18 2023.03.18 |
S27W86 |
 |
|
|||||||
| 13259 | 2023.03.18 2023.03.19 |
S17W88 | |||||||||
| 13260 | 2023.03.18 2023.03.19 |
1 | N24W85 | 0110 | HAX |
 |
rotated out of view | ||||
| 13265 | 2023.03.20 2023.03.26 |
2 | 3 | 2 | N21W70 | 0060 | CSO | DSO |
 |
 |
area: 0150 location: N21W74 |
| 13262 | 2023.03.21 2023.03.22 |
2 | 5 | 2 | S18W47 | 0070 | HAX | CAO |
 |
 |
area: 0100 location: S18W46 |
| S8388 | 2023.03.22 | S21W33 | |||||||||
| 13264 | 2023.03.23 2023.03.24 |
1 | 12 | 4 | N16W19 | 0050 | HSX | CSO |
 |
 |
area: 0070 |
| S8391 | 2023.03.23 | S12W50 | |||||||||
| S8398 | 2023.03.25 | N18W44 | |||||||||
| 13266 | 2023.03.26 2023.03.29 |
4 | 13 | 4 | N09E15 | 0010 | BXO | DRO |
 |
 |
area: 0020 |
| S8405 | 2023.03.27 | S05W57 | |||||||||
| 13267 | 2023.03.27 2023.03.29 |
12 | 2 | S17E19 | 0025 | BXO |
 |
 |
location: S18E20 | ||
| S8407 | 2023.03.27 | 4 | 1 | S20W32 | 0010 | BXO |
 |
 |
|||
| S8408 | 2023.03.28 | 3 | 1 | N12E39 | 0010 | BXO |
 |
 |
|||
| 13268 | 2023.03.28 2023.03.29 |
S24W05 |
 |
location: S23W03 | |||||||
| S8410 | 2023.03.29 | S12W22 | |||||||||
| S8411 | 2023.03.29 | N24W35 |
 |
||||||||
| S8412 | 2023.03.30 | 1 | 1 | N18W32 | 0005 | AXX |
 |
 |
|||
| S8413 | 2023.03.30 | N12W56 |
 |
||||||||
| S8414 | 2023.03.30 | 1 | 1 | S24E70 | 0005 | HRX |
 |
 |
|||
| S8415 | 2023.03.31 | 1 | S16W17 | 0001 | AXX |
 |
 |
||||
| S8416 | 2023.03.31 | 2 | S22W39 | 0002 | BXO |
 |
|||||
| S8417 | 2023.03.31 | 2 | 1 | S14W04| | 0006 | AXX |
 |
||||
| Total spot count: | 10 | 59 | 19 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 60 | 179 | 119 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 30 | 80 | 40 | (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 | 98 | 95 | ||||||||
| 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 |
| 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 | 64.7 (+4.6) | 10.46 |
| 2022.03 | 117.0 | 115.8 | 78.6 | 68.7 (+4.0) | 10.20 |
| 2022.04 | 130.8 | 131.7 | 84.0 | 73.0 (+4.3) | 11.79 |
| 2022.05 | 133.8 | 136.8 | 96.5 | 77.2 (+4.2) | 7.48 |
| 2022.06 | 116.1 | 119.8 | 70.3 | 80.9 (+3.7) | 8.20 |
| 2022.07 | 125.4 | 129.5 | 91.4 | 86.5 (+5.6) | 9.51 |
| 2022.08 | 114.2 | 117.1 | 74.6 | 92.3 (+5.8) | 10.92 |
| 2022.09 | 135.1 | 136.5 | 96.0 | 96.2 (+3.9) | 12.18 |
| 2022.10 | 133.5 | 132.7 | 95.4 | (98.8 projected, +2.6) | 11.16 |
| 2022.11 | 123.4 | 120.7 | 77.6 | (101.8 projected, +3.0) | 9.33 |
| 2022.12 | 147.9 | 143.4 | 113.1 | (106.6 projected, +4.8) | 10.99 |
| 2023.01 | 182.4 | 176.6 | 143.6 | (112.6 projected, +6.0) | 8.73 |
| 2023.02 | 167.2 | 163.2 | 110.9 | (117.7 projected, +5.1) | 14.48 (current SC25 peak) |
| 2023.03 | 157.2 | 155.6 | 122.6 | (120.8 projected, +3.1) | 14.5 |
| 2023.04 | (1) | (2A/2B) / 138.3 (2C) | (126.2 projected, +5.4) | () | |
| 2023.05 | (132.0 projected, +5.8) | ||||
| 2023.06 | (135.2 projected, +3.2) | ||||
| 2023.07 | (134.7 projected, -0.5) | ||||
| 2023.08 | (135.7 projected, +1.0) | ||||
| 2023.09 | (139.2 projected, +3.5) | ||||
| 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.
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.
