The geomagnetic field was at quiet to active levels on January 8. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 344 and 449 km/sec, averaging 376 km/sec (+17 km/sec compared to the previous day). The above 10 MeV proton flux was at background levels all day.
Solar flux density measured at 22h UT on 2.8 GHz was 131.7 - decreasing 2.8 over the previous solar rotation. The measurements at 18 and 20h UT were both flare enhanced, thus using the 22h measurement.
The 365 day average solar flux at 1 AU was 153.42 (183 days ago). The 81 day average solar flux at 1 AU was 143.6 (41 days ago, this is 47.1% of the total SC25 solar flux range from the max 81 day average peak on September 4, 2024 at 227.3 and an average 81 day flux of 69 at solar minimum). SC25 365d peak: 195.9 on October 13, 2024.
The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 13 (STAR Ap - based on the average of three hour interval ap indices: 13.4). Three hour interval K indices: 43421123 (planetary), 33322222 (Boulder), 65332135 (Andenes).
The background x-ray flux is at the class B7 level (GOES 19).
At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 8 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 165) and in 6 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 100) SDO/HMI images.
AR 14334 [S15W05] decayed slowly and produced 2 CMEs.
AR 14336 [S09E27] gained spots, however, the magnetic delta
configuration decreased in area and the region produced only low level C
flares. C1 flares: C1.3 @ 08:33, C1.1 @ 12:50, C1.2 @ 14:11, C1.0 @ 15:07,
C1.1 @ 22:21 UT
AR 14337 [N25W50] decayed slowly and was mostly quiet. C1 flares:
C1.7 @ 03:07, C1.1 @ 03:54, C1.1 @ 04:01, C1.5 @ 04:46, C1.0 @ 06:13 UT
New AR 14338 [S04E35] emerged on January 6 and was noticed by SWPC 2
days later as the region began to decay.
Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted
differently) by SWPC/USAF:
AR S11745 [S26W15] was quiet and stable.
AR S11753 [S14W40] decayed slowly and quietly.
New AR S11756 [S14E18] emerged with tiny spots.
New AR S11757 [S06W04] was observed with a tiny spot in an old
plage area.
AR 14324 at the northwest limb produced a C1.2 flare
at 01:39 UT.
AR 14325 at the southwest limb was the source of a C1.1 flare at 04:17 UT
C2+ flares
| Magnitude | Peak time (UT) | Location | Source | Recorded by | Comment |
| C2.3 | 02:27 | 14325 | GOES18 | ||
| C4.4 | 05:42 | S19E03 | 14334 | GOES18 | CME |
| C2.7 | 16:09 | 14336 | GOES18 | ||
| C5.6 | 17:29 | 14334 | GOES18 | LDE, CME, weak type IV radio sweep | |
| C3.4 | 19:56 | 14334 | GOES18 | weak type II radio sweep |
January 6: A partial halo CME was observed after a C2 flare in AR
14334 at 00:21 UT. The CME could reach Earth on January 9.
January 7: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in
available coronagraph imagery.
January 8: A partial halo CME was observed after a C4.4 flare in AR
14334 at 05:42 UT. There is a chance the CME could reach Earth on January
11. A partial halo (possibly a very faint halo) CME was observed after the
C5 long duration event in AR 14334 peaking at 17:29 UT. This CME could
overtake the previous CME and reach Earth on January 11. A full halo CME from
a backsided source was observed beginning just before noon.
[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 (CH1338) will be Earth facing on January 6-12, although likely too far to the north on January 9-10 to cause a disturbance. A recurrent trans equatorial negative polarity coronal hole (CH1338) will likely rotate across the central meridian on January 10.
The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet to minor storm levels on January 9-11 due to combined effects from CH1338 and several CMEs. Quiet to unsettled levels are likely on January 12 while effects from CH1339 and the easternmost parts of CH1338 could cause quiet to active levels on January 13-14.
| 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 | ||||||||||
| 14324 | 2025.12.26 2025.12.26 |
1 | N25W93 | 0120 | HSX |
 |
was AR S11721 rotated out of view |
||||
| 14330 | 2025.12.27 2025.12.29 |
S16W84 |
was AR S11724 location: S18W76 |
||||||||
| 14331 | 2025.12.28 2025.12.29 |
S25W74 | was AR S11729 | ||||||||
| 14332 | 2025.12.30 2025.12.31 |
N14W81 |
was AR S11732 location: N13W72 |
||||||||
| 14335 | 2025.12.31 2026.01.03 |
S22W67 |
 |
was AR S11735 location: S22W60 |
|||||||
| 14333 | 2026.01.01 2026.01.02 |
2 | S11W80 | 0010 | BXO |
 |
was AR S11738+S11739 |
||||
| 14334 | 2026.01.01 2026.01.02 |
10 | 19 | 7 | S16W06 | 0150 | DAO | DAO |
 |
 |
was AR S11740 location: S15W05 |
| S11743 | 2026.01.02 | N10W26 | |||||||||
| S11745 | 2026.01.03 | 5 | 2 | S25W15 | 0008 | AXX |
 |
 |
|||
| 14336 | 2026.01.04 2026.01.04 |
12 | 41 | 23 | S10E28 | 0420 | EKI | EKC |
 |
 |
beta-gamma-delta was AR S11747 area: 0770 location: S09E27 |
| 14337 | 2026.01.04 2026.01.05 |
7 | 6 | 2 | N25W49 | 0020 | DAO | CRO |
 |
 |
was AR S11748 location: N25W50 SWPC classification misrepresents the current spots |
| S11749 | 2026.01.04 | N00W39 | |||||||||
| S11753 | 2026.01.06 | 1 | S14W40 | 0001 | AXX |
 |
 |
||||
| 14338 | 2026.01.06 2026.01.08 |
3 | 3 | 2 | S05E34 | 0010 | BXO | CRO |
 |
 |
was AR S11754 location: S04E35 |
| S11755 | 2026.01.07 | N14E04 |
 |
||||||||
| S11756 | 2026.01.08 | 9 | 4 | S14E18 | 0025 | BXO |
 |
||||
| S11757 | 2026.01.08 | 1 | S06W04 | 0003 | AXX |
 |
|||||
| Total spot count: | 35 | 85 | 40 | ||||||||
| Sunspot number: | 95 | 165 | 100 | (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions) | |||||||
| Weighted SN: | 60 | 106 | 71 | (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): | 105 | 91 | 80 | ||||||||
| Month | Average solar flux | International sunspot number (WDC-SILSO) |
Smoothed sunspot number (4) | Average
ap (3) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measured | 1 AU | ||||
| 2024.05 | 187.7 | 191.9 | 172.1 | 149.1 (+4.6) | 23.56 (SC25 peak) |
| 2024.08 | 246.1 (SC25 peak) |
252.2 | 216.0 (SC25 peak) | 156.8 (+1.8) | 15.96 |
| 2024.10 | 221.0 | 219.6 | 165.8 | 160.9 (+1.5) (SC25 solar max) | 18.99 |
| 2024.11 | 199.6 | 195.3 | 154.1 | 157.2 (-3.7) | 9.33 |
| 2024.12 | 197.3 | 191.2 | 154.6 | 151.2 (-6.0) | 8.42 |
| 2025.01 | 190.3 | 184.2 | 137.0 | 146.2 (-5.0) | 13.17 |
| 2025.02 | 184.2 | 179.7 | 155.7 | 139.8 (-6.4) | 14.42 |
| 2025.03 | 163.7 | 162.1 | 134.2 | 135.9 (-3.9) | 15.96 |
| 2025.04 | 162.5 | 163.6 | 141.4 | 133.3 (-2.6) | 17.62 |
| 2025.05 | 135.3 | 138.3 | 78.5 | 128.5 (-4.8) | 17.26 |
| 2025.06 | 131.3 | 135.4 | 114.6 | 124.7 (-3.8) | 21.43 |
| 2025.07 | 137.8 | 142.3 | 125.6 | (122.4 projected, -2.3) | 11.80 |
| 2025.08 | 154.9 | 158.7 | 133.5 | (119.3 projected, -3.1) | 9.97 |
| 2025.09 | 154.4 | 156.0 | 129.8 | (115.8 projected, -3.5) | 14.02 |
| 2025.10 | 139.5 | 138.6 | 114.6 | (111.8 projected, -4.0) | 15.64 |
| 2025.11 | 140.3 | 137.3 | 91.7 | (109.5 projected, -2.3) | 21.01 |
| 2025.12 | 160.8 | 155.8 | 124.0 | (108.0 projected, -1.5) | 13.35 |
| 2026.01 | 152.9 (1) | 28.4 (2A) / 110.0 (2B) / 122.5 (2C) | (104.0 projected, -4.0) | (10.7) | |
| 2026.02 | (99.9 projected, -4.1) | ||||
| 2026.03 | (95.5 projected, -4.4) | ||||
| 2026.04 | (91.8 projected, -3.7) | ||||
| 2026.05 | (90.5 projected, -1.3) | ||||
| 2026.06 | (88.4 projected, -2.1) | ||||
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 was on a decreasing trend from September
2024 until mid August 2025 (using the average solar flux over 3 solar rotations as a proxy).
Then a strong surge in activity saw solar flux peak in late August 2025 just
below the largest peaks seen in 2024. A slow decrease in activity from the
August level has been observed in September and October 2025.
All 365 day smoothed sunspot numbers reached a maximum on October 11-12, 2024.
This became the peak of SC25 (365 day smoothed peaks: STAR 1K: 236.1, STAR 2K: 364.3, NOAA SN: 156.0, ISN: 163.9),
while the 365d
smoothed solar flux peaked on October 13, 2024, just 1.7% below the SC23
peak, and 62.6% above the SC24 peak.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This report has been prepared by Jan Alvestad. It is based on the analysis of data from whichever 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.
