The geomagnetic field was at quiet to active levels on September 18. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 421 and 521 km/sec. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded active to major storm levels. The above 10 MeV proton flux was at 0.4 pfu at the end of the day.
Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 163.3 - decreasing 67.3 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 176.04. In comparison SC24 peaked on June 28, 2014 at 145.50. Current SC25 peak: 176.05 on March 19, 2024). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 9 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 9.4). Three hour interval K indices: 42122213 (planetary), 32113323 (Boulder), 43232325 (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 14 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 295) and in 13 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 207) SDO/HMI images.
AR 13824 [S04W70] decayed slowly and was mostly
quiet. C1 flares: C1.6 @ 04:24, C1.4 @ 20:11 UT
AR 13825 [S16W09] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet. The
easternmost spot section was split off into AR S10135.
AR 13827 [S26E36] developed slowly and quietly.
AR 13828 [S12E47] gained spots, area and became more complex. An M
class flare is possible.
AR 13829 [N12W59] decayed slowly and quietly.
New AR 13830 [N15W69] emerged on September 15 and was numbered by
SWPC 3 days later as the region decayed. The region could become spotless
soon.
Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted
differently) by SWPC/USAF:
S10115 [S11W19] developed slowly and quietly.
S10123 [S05E15] was quiet and stable.
S10127 [N09E19] reemerged with tiny spots.
S10129 [S01W25] reemerged with a tiny spot.
S10134 [N33W03] was quiet and stable.
New region S10135 [S17E00] was split off from AR 13825.
New region S10136 [N07E05] emerged with a tiny spot.
New region S10137 [N22E28] emerged with tiny spots.
C2+ flares
| Magnitude | Peak time (UT) | Location | Source | Recorded by | Comment |
| C4.1 | 03:44 | 13828 | GOES16 | ||
| C2.9 | 13:14 | 13824 | GOES16 | LDE | |
| C2.1 | 16:05 | 13824 | GOES16 | ||
| C3.0 | 16:43 | 13825 | GOES16 | ||
| C2.8 | 17:03 | 13825 | GOES16 | ||
| C2.7 | 17:41 | 13825 | GOES16 |
September 16-18: No obviously Earth directed CMEs 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 positive polarity trans equatorial coronal hole (CH1243) will likely rotated into an Earth facing position on September 22.
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 to fair.
The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet to active levels on September 19. Quiet levels are likely on September 20-21.
| 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 | ||||||||||
| 13824 | 2024.09.10 2024.09.11 |
12 | 19 | 9 | S04W69 | 0100 | EAI | EAI |
 |
 |
beta-gamma location: S04W70 area: 0190 |
| 13825 | 2024.09.12 2024.09.13 |
25 | 31 | 20 | S15W07 | 0200 | EHI | DAC |
 |
 |
beta-gamma area: 0240 location: S16W09 eastern spot section is now AR S10135 |
| 13829 | 2024.09.13 2024.09.17 |
4 | 6 | 4 | N11W73 | 0030 | BXO | CRO |
 |
 |
location: N12W59 area: 0020 SWPC location is way off |
| S10115 | 2024.09.13 | 13 | 7 | S11W19 | 0030 | BXO |
 |
 |
|||
| S10117 | 2024.09.13 | N18W34 |
 |
||||||||
| 13826 | 2024.09.14 2024.09.14 |
S26W72 |
 |
location: S29W69 |
|||||||
| S10120 | 2024.09.14 | S17W47 | |||||||||
| S10122 | 2024.09.15 | S10W11 | |||||||||
| S10123 | 2024.09.15 | 16 | 5 | S05E15 | 0030 | BXO |
 |
 |
|||
| S10124 | 2024.09.15 | N16W13 |
 |
||||||||
| 13827 | 2024.09.15 2024.09.16 |
3 | 13 | 5 | S26E33 | 0100 | CKO | CSO |
 |
 |
location: S26E36 area: 0180 SWPC classification and area are incompatible |
| 13830 | 2024.09.15 2024.09.18 |
1 | 2 | 1 | N12W68 | 0010 | AXX | AXX |
 |
 |
location: N15W69 area: 0004 |
| S10127 | 2024.09.15 | 4 | 1 | N09E19 | 0007 | BXO |
 |
||||
| S10128 | 2024.09.15 | N06W17 | |||||||||
| S10129 | 2024.09.15 | 1 | S01W25 | 0002 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| 13828 | 2024.09.16 2024.09.16 |
1 | 26 | 16 | S13E47 | 0140 | CHO | DKI |
 |
 |
beta-gamma area: 0320 location: S12E60 SWPC classification and area are incompatible |
| S10132 | 2024.09.16 | N11W42 | |||||||||
| S10134 | 2024.09.17 | 3 | 1 | N33W03 | 0007 | AXX |
 |
 |
|||
| S10135 | 2024.09.18 | 17 | 6 | S17E00 | 0130 | CSO |
 |
||||
| S10136 | 2024.09.18 | 1 | 1 | N07E05 | 0003 | AXX |
 |
||||
| S10137 | 2024.09.18 | 3 | 1 | N22E28 | 0007 | BXO |
 |
||||
| Total spot count: | 46 | 155 | 77 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 106 | 295 | 207 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 81 | 188 | 110 | (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): | 117 | 162 | 166 | ||||||||
| 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 |
| 2022.12 | 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 |
| 2023.03 | 157.2 | 155.6 | 123.3 | 121.1 (+3.3) | 14.42 |
| 2023.04 | 145.4 | 146.4 | 97.6 | 122.9 (+1.8) | 13.40 |
| 2023.05 | 155.6 | 159.2 | 137.4 | 124.2 (+1.3) | 10.67 |
| 2023.06 | 161.7 | 166.8 | 160.5 | 125.3 (+1.1) | 8.95 |
| 2023.07 | 176.4 | 182.2 | 160.0 | 124.6 (-0.7) | 8.15 |
| 2023.08 | 153.7 | 157.6 | 114.8 | 124.3 (-0.3) | 7.19 |
| 2023.09 | 154.4 | 156.0 | 134.2 | 124.0 (-0.3) | 14.26 |
| 2023.10 | 142.8 | 141.9 | 99.4 | 124.8 (+0.8) | 8.16 |
| 2023.11 | 153.5 | 150.2 | 105.4 | 127.8 (+3.0) | 12.20 |
| 2023.12 | 151.1 | 146.4 | 114.2 | 129.4 (+1.6) | 9.60 |
| 2024.01 | 164.6 | 159.3 | 126.0 | 131.1 (+1.7) | 5.46 |
| 2024.02 | 172.5 | 168.3 | 123.0 | 136.8 (+5.7) | 5.31 |
| 2024.03 | 154.4 | 152.9 | 103.7 | (143.3 projected, +6.5) | 11.03 |
| 2024.04 | 161.3 | 162.6 | 136.5 | (147.8 projected, +4.5) | 9.69 |
| 2024.05 | 187.7 | 191.9 | 171.7 | (152.6 projected, +4.8) | 23.56 (SC25 peak) |
| 2024.06 | 184.3 | 190.2 | 164.2 | (156.5 projected, +4.0) | 10.24 |
| 2024.07 | 196.6 |
203.0 | 196.5 | (158.3 projected, +1.8) | 7.13 |
| 2024.08 | 246.1 (cycle peak) |
252.2 | 215.5 (SC25 peak) | (158.7 projected, +0.4) | 15.96 |
| 2024.09 | 208.1 (1) | 90.4 (2A) / 150.7 (2B) / 194.0 (2C) [ISN average: 153] |
(160.8 projected, +2.1) | (18.0) | |
| 2024.10 | (162.7 projected, +1.9) | ||||
| 2024.11 | (160.7 projected, -2.0) | ||||
| 2024.12 | (156.4 projected, -4.3) | ||||
| 2025.01 | (150.3 projected, -6.1) | ||||
| 2025.02 | (143.0 projected, -7.3) | ||||
| 2025.03 | (136.2 projected, -6.8) | ||||
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
Sunspot counts in August 2024 were much higher than during any previous solar cycle 25 month. In comparison only 3 months during solar cycle 23 had higher SSN. Sunspot counts in early September are still high, although lower than in the beginning of August. With at least 5 consecutive months of high sunspot counts the projected peak for the smoothed ISN (365 days smoothing) has increased significantly to above 160 and could easily surpass 170 if the current activity lasts through October. The month of the peak is likely to occur sometime between July and November 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.
