Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on February 22, 2022 at 10:40 UT.

Charts (* = updated daily) Data and archive
  Solar wind (*) Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (*)
  Electron fluence (*) Archived daily reports and monthly data since 2003.01 (February 1, 2022)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-25 (February 1, 2022) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24-25 progress (February 1, 2022) Noon SDO sunspot count 1K image / 4K (*)
  Solar cycles 1-24 (June 1, 2020) POES auroral activity level October 2009 - December 2012]
  Comparison of cycles 21-25 (February 1, 2022) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12-14, 16, 24-25 (February 1, 2022) 4th SSN Workshop, Locarno, 2014
  Solar polar fields vs. solar cycles (August 22, 2021) Cycle 25 spots (final update December 25, 2019)
  Solar cycles 24-25 transition using 365d smoothing Research: Solar Cycle 25 Started on November 17, 2019 with 365 Days Smoothing

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet to active on February 21 under the influence of a high speed stream associated with CH1064. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded quiet to minor storm levels.

Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 97.8 - decreasing 3.1 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 86.34). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 10 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 10.4). Three hour interval K indices: 11224233 (planetary), 11234323 (Boulder), 11124345 (Andenes).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B1 level (GOES 16).

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 8 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 106) and in 6 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 74) SDO/HMI images.

Region 12948 [S27W33] decayed slowly losing all leader spots.
Region 12952 [S23E18] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12953 [N17E09] was quiet and stable.
Region 12954 [N18E59] was quiet and stable.
New region 12955 [N14E72] rotated partly into view on February 20 and was numbered the next day by SWPC.

Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S7379 [N23W15] was quiet and stable.
New region S7382 [N04E27] emerged with tiny spots. Polarities are reversed and this is likely an SC24 group.
New region S7383 [N29E02] was observed with a tiny spot in an old plage area.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UT) Location Source Recorded by Comment
C3.1 19:00 N16E90 uncertain GOES16 source is either AR 12955 or another region just behind the NE limb

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

February 19-21: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in available LASCO imagery.

Coronal holes

[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 northern hemisphere coronal hole (CH1064) was Earth facing on February 17-18. A small northern hemisphere coronal hole (CH1065) will rotate into an Earth facing position on February 22.

Propagation

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.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active on February 22 due to effects from CH1064 and quiet on February 23-24.

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.

Active solar regions


(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
12946 2022.02.10
2022.02.11
      S08W70            
12951 2022.02.11
2022.02.16
      S25W69           location: S23W67
12948 2022.02.13
2022.02.14
  3 1 S28W39 0006   AXX  
12949 2022.02.14
2022.02.16
      N24W87          

 

12950 2022.02.14
2022.02.16
      N22W23           location: N22W17
S7364 2022.02.15       N22W43            
12952 2022.02.16
2022.02.17
1 5 2 S23E16 0010 AXX BXO  
S7367 2022.02.17       N19W03           reversed polarities
S7368 2022.02.17       S09W48            
S7369 2022.02.17       N17W14            
12953 2022.02.18
2022.02.19
5 12 8 N18E09 0010 BXO DRI area: 0030
S7371 2022.02.18       N22E13            
S7372 2022.02.18       S11W05            
S7373 2022.02.18       N28W40            
S7374 2022.02.19       S23W49            
S7376 2022.02.19       N13W11            
12954 2022.02.20
2022.02.20
1 1 1 N17E58 0120 HSX HSX location: N18E59

area: 0140

12955 2022.02.20
2022.02.21
1 1 1 N13E70 0050 HSX HSX area: 0190
S7379 2022.02.20   1   N23W15 0002   AXX  
S7380 2022.02.20       S27W13          
S7381 2022.02.21       S15E07          
S7382 2022.02.21   2 1 N04E27 0004   BXO   likely SC24
S7383 2022.02.21   1   N29E02 0002   AXX    
Total spot count: 8 26 14  
Sunspot number: 48 106 74  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 18 39 27  (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): 53 58 59  

Monthly solar cycle data

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 (solar max) 7.88
2017.09 91.3 92.3 43.6 18.2 (-1.3) 18.22
(cycle 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
2020.07 69.5 71.8 6.1 9.0 (+1.1) 4.28
2020.08 71.6 73.4 7.5 9.5 (+0.5) 5.68
2020.09 70.7 71.4 0.7 10.5 (+1.0) 8.59
2020.10 74.6 74.2 14.6 11.9 (+1.4) 6.13
2020.11 89.9 88.0 34.5 13.6 (+1.7) 4.77
2020.12 86.9 84.2 23.1 15.3 (+1.7) 4.72
2021.01 76.0 73.6 10.4 17.3 (+2.0) 4.39
2021.02 74.3 72.4 8.2 19.0 (+1.7) 9.50
2021.03 76.0 75.2 17.2 21.7 (+2.7) 10.17
2021.04 75.9 76.4 24.5 24.8 (+3.1) 8.40
2021.05 75.3 77.1 21.2 25.8 (+1.0) 6.50
2021.06 79.4 81.8 25.0 27.7 (+1.9) 5.52
2021.07 81.0 83.6 34.3 31.4 (+3.7) 5.51
2021.08 77.7 79.7 22.0 (36.2 projected, +4.8) 6.19
2021.09 87.0 88.2 51.3 (42.3 projected, +6.1) 6.33
2021.10 88.9 88.3 38.1 (46.7 projected, +4.4) 7.38
2021.11 86.2 84.4 35.0 (51.3 projected, +4.6) 9.83
2021.12 103.0 99.8 67.6 (57.2 projected, +5.9) 6.40
2022.01 103.8 100.5 54.0 (60.8 projected, +3.6) 8.92
2022.02 113.5 (1)   56.4 (2A) / 76.1 (2B) / 86.2 (2C) (65.5 projected, +4.7) (11.8)
2022.03       (71.0 projected, +5.5)  
2022.04       (76.1 projected, +5.1)  
2022.05       (82.6 projected, +6.5)  
2022.06       (88.4 projected, +5.9)  
2022.07       (95.7 projected, +7.3)  

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.

Solar cycles 24-25

Smoothed SF and sunspot numbers

 

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.