The geomagnetic field was at unsettled to major storm levels on March 9 due to effects from CH1274. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 443 and 751 km/sec, averaging 618 km/sec (+155 km/sec compared to the previous day). The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded active to major storm levels. The above 10 MeV proton flux was at background levels all day.
Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 147.6 - decreasing 5.8 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 193.86. In comparison SC24 peaked on June 28, 2014 at 145.50 while SC23 peaked on February 23, 2002 at 198.15. Current SC25 peak: 193.86 on September 8, 2024 (subtracting a baseline solar flux level of 65, this is +60.08% compared to the SC24 peak and -3.22% compared to the SC23 peak). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 32 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 32.4). Three hour interval K indices: 56454333 (planetary), 44364333 (Boulder), 66444455 (Andenes).
The background x-ray flux is at the class B9 level (GOES 18).
At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 11 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 204) and in 10 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 143) SDO/HMI images.
AR 14012 [S13W42] decayed, especially in the
trailing spot section where no spots retained mature penumbra. A small and
weak magnetic delta formed in the intermediate spot section. C1 flares: C1.2
@ 05:28, C1.6 @ 14:33, C1.4 @ 18:21 UT
AR 14016 [S26W17] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet. C1 flares:
C1.1 @ 02:42 UT
AR 14018 [S20E27] was quiet and stable.
AR 14019 [N06E44] developed as new flux emerged. A small magnetic
delta formed in the intermediate spot section. C1 flares: C1.0 @ 12:05, C1.1
@ 15:37, C1.7 @ 17:20 UT
New region 14020 [N19E63] rotated into view on March 8 and was
numbered the next day by SWPC. C1 flares: C1.0 @ 04:34, C1.1 @ 10:55 UT
Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted
differently) by SWPC/USAF:
S10868 [N04W59] developed slowly and quietly.
S10871 [N10E22] was quiet and stable.
S10872 [S14W17] was quiet and stable.
S10873 [S02E09] was quiet and stable.
New region S10876 [S05E83] rotated into view.
New region S10877 [S13E15] emerged with tiny spots.
A C1.1 flare was recorded at 12:25 UT from a spotless
plage area near the northeast limb. A C1.0 flare at 12:49 UT had the same
origin.
A C1.1 flare at 22:34 UT had its source just behind the northeast limb.
C2+ flares
| Magnitude | Peak time (UT) | Location | Source | Recorded by | Comment |
| C2.5 | 18:54 | S10876 | GOES16 |
March 7-9: No obviously Earth directed CMEs.
[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 negative polarity coronal hole (CH1274) was Earth facing on March 5-7. A recurrent southern hemisphere negative polarity coronal hole (CH1275) will rotate across the central meridian on March 9-10.
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 unsettled to major storm levels on March 9 and quiet to active levels on March 10-11 due to effects from CH1274. Effects from CH1275 could cause quiet to active levels on March 12-14.
| 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 |
STAR | SWPC | STAR | Current | Previous | ||||||
| 2K | 1K | ||||||||||
| 14011 | 2025.03.01 2025.03.02 |
S14W49 |
was AR S10846 location: S21W42 the SWPC location of this AR was at S19E04 on 2025.03.05, then SWPC moved the AR to the location of AR S10850 |
||||||||
| 14012 | 2025.03.01 2025.03.02 |
18 | 42 | 17 | S14W38 | 0220 | FAO | DAC |
 |
 |
beta-gamma-delta was AR S10847 location: S13W42 area: 0280 |
| 14013 | 2025.03.01 2025.03.02 |
S04W44 | was AR S10848 | ||||||||
| S10850 | 2025.03.01 | S16W47 | |||||||||
| S10854 | 2025.03.02 | S09W50 | |||||||||
| 14015 | 2025.03.03 2025.03.04 |
N27W86 |
was AR S10856 location: N27W83 |
||||||||
| S10857 | 2025.03.03 | N23W48 | |||||||||
| 14016 | 2025.03.03 2025.03.04 |
2 | 4 | 2 | S25W18 | 0010 | BXO | BXO |
 |
 |
was AR S10858 location: S26W17 area: 0020 |
| 14017 | 2025.03.04 2025.03.05 |
S05E02 |
 |
was AR S10860 location: S04E05 |
|||||||
| S10862 | 2025.03.04 | N23W43 | |||||||||
| S10863 | 2025.03.04 | N08E04 |
 |
||||||||
| 14018 | 2025.03.05 2025.03.05 |
1 | 15 | 9 | S20E25 | 0100 | HSX | CAO |
 |
 |
location: S20E27 area: 0230 |
| S10865 | 2025.03.06 | S06W29 | |||||||||
| 14019 | 2025.03.06 2025.03.07 |
1 | 9 | 5 | N07E43 | 0070 | HSX | DAC |
 |
 |
beta-delta was AR S10866 area: 0260 |
| S10868 | 2025.03.07 | 4 | 2 | N04W59 | 0025 | CRO |
 |
 |
|||
| S10869 | 2025.03.08 | S23W57 |
 |
||||||||
| 14020 | 2025.03.08 2025.03.09 |
1 | 1 | 1 | N18E53 | 0050 | HSX | HSX |
 |
was AR S10870 location: N19E63 area: 0120 |
|
| S10871 | 2025.03.08 | 7 | 3 | N10E22 | 0015 | BXO |
 |
 |
|||
| S10872 | 2025.03.08 | 1 | S14W17 | 0002 | AXX |
 |
 |
||||
| S10873 | 2025.03.08 | 8 | 2 | S02E09 | 0020 | BXO |
 |
 |
|||
| S10874 | 2025.03.08 | S08E33 |
 |
||||||||
| S10876 | 2025.03.09 | 1 | 1 | S05E83 | 0160 | HSX |
 |
||||
| S10877 | 2025.03.09 | 2 | 1 | S13E15 | 0010 | HRX |
 |
||||
| Total spot count: | 23 | 94 | 43 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 73 | 204 | 143 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 43 | 125 | 74 | (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): | 80 | 112 | 114 | ||||||||
| 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 |
| 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 | 99.9 | 124.8 (+0.8) | 8.16 |
| 2023.11 | 153.5 | 150.2 | 107.1 | 127.9 (+3.1) | 12.20 |
| 2023.12 | 151.1 | 146.4 | 113.5 | 129.5 (+1.6) | 9.60 |
| 2024.01 | 164.6 | 159.3 | 126.0 | 131.2 (+1.7) | 5.46 |
| 2024.02 | 172.5 | 168.3 | 123.0 | 136.9 (+5.7) | 5.31 |
| 2024.03 | 154.4 | 152.9 | 103.7 | 141.4 (+4.5) | 11.03 |
| 2024.04 | 161.3 | 162.6 | 137.0 | 144.5 (+3.1) | 9.69 |
| 2024.05 | 187.7 | 191.9 | 172.1 | 149.1 (+4.6) | 23.56 (SC25 peak) |
| 2024.06 | 184.3 | 190.2 | 164.1 | 152.7 (+3.6) | 10.24 |
| 2024.07 | 196.6 | 203.0 | 196.8 | 154.9 (+2.3) | 7.13 |
| 2024.08 | 246.1 (cycle peak) |
252.2 | 216.0 (SC25 peak) | 156.7 (+1.8) | 15.96 |
| 2024.09 | 195.7 | 197.8 | 141.1 | (159.5 projected, +2.8) | 15.36 |
| 2024.10 | 221.0 | 219.6 | 166.4 | (160.6 projected, +1.1) | 18.99 |
| 2024.11 | 199.6 | 195.3 | 152.5 | (158.0 projected, -2.6) | 9.33 |
| 2024.12 | 197.3 | 191.2 | 154.5 | (154.2 projected, -3.8) | 8.42 |
| 2025.01 | 190.3 | 184.2 | 137.0 | (148.7 projected, -5.5) | 13.17 |
| 2025.02 | 184.2 | 179.7 | 154.7 | (140.2 projected, -8.5) | 14.42 |
| 2025.03 | 152.8 (1) | 33.4 (2A) / 115.0 (2B) / 168.3 (2C) | (133.8 projected, -6.4) | (12.7) | |
| 2025.04 | (129.2 projected, -4.6) | ||||
| 2025.05 | (123.9 projected, -5.3) | ||||
| 2025.06 | (119.0 projected, -4.9) | ||||
| 2025.07 | (114.9 projected, -4.1) | ||||
| 2025.08 | (110.2 projected, -4.7) | ||||
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 27 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 activity has been on a slowly decreasing trend since September 2024 (using the average solar flux over 3 solar rotations as a proxy). Currently all 365 days smoothed indices are still indicating that a peak occurred on October 12 or 13, 2024. Should sunspot activity drop even further then there is a possibility that the peak may have taken place in September 2024. Any peak outside of September-October 2024 appears unlikely. The 365 days average solar flux is likely to max out ~2% below the peak of solar cycle 23. The maximum 365d smoothed solar flux of SC23 and SC25 are similar, however, sunspot numbers were significantly lower during SC25 compared to SC23.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
