Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on March 12, 2022 at 08:30 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 (March 1, 2022)
Solar cycle Solar cycles 23-25 (March 1, 2022) Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (April 5, 2007)
  Cycle 24-25 progress (March 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 (March 1, 2022) 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013
  Comparison of cycles 12-14, 16, 24-25 (March 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 March 11. The high latitude magnetometer at Andenes recorded unsettled to major storm levels.

Solar flux density measured at 20h UT on 2.8 GHz was 126.5 - increasing 16.0 over the previous solar rotation. (Centered 1 year average SF at 1 AU - 183 days ago: 87.84). 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: 44423334 (planetary), 33433334 (Boulder), 44433456 (Andenes).

The background x-ray flux is at the class B7 level (GOES 16).

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 11 active regions using 2K resolution (SN: 217) and in 8 active regions using 1K resolution (SN: 133) SDO/HMI images.

Region 12960 [S19W35] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12962 [N26W23] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12964 [S27W69] developed a weak magnetic delta and produced an M2 flare. The region has reversed polarities. C1 flares: C1.6 @ 13:08, C1.0 @ 09:50, C1.4 @ 15:38, C1.2 @ 18:30 UT
Region 12965 [N22E36] produced a few C flares and has M class flare potential. C1 flares: C1.3 @ 02:05, C1.6 @ 14:52 UT.
Region 12966 [S23W77] decayed slowly and quietly.

Spotted regions not observed (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S7418 [S18E54] was quiet and stable
S7419 [S21E69] was quiet and stable.
New region S7421 [N17E74] rotated into view early in the day.

C2+ flares:

Magnitude Peak time (UT) Location Source Recorded by Comment
C2.1 08:46   S7421 GOES16  
C2.2 11:22   12964 GOES16  
C2.1 13:34   12965 GOES16  
M2.2 22:32 S28W63 12964 GOES16  

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

March 9, 11: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in available LASCO imagery.
March 10: A full halo CME was observed after the very long duration event in AR 12962. The CME could reach Earth on March 13 and cause unsettled to minor storm conditions.

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]

No obvious coronal holes are currently in or near Earth facing locations.

Propagation

Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over upper middle and high latitudes is very poor. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to minor storm on March 12 and quiet to unsettled initially on March 13. Late on March 13 or early on March 14 the March 10 CME could arrive and cause unsettled to minor storm conditions.

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
12957 2022.02.26
2022.02.27
1     S16W92 0030 HSX       location: S12W107

spotless

The original AR 12957 has rotated out of view.

12959 2022.03.02
2022.03.03
      S19W85          

 

12960 2022.03.02
2022.03.03
2 15 6 S20W31 0380 DHO DHO

location: S19W35

12963 2022.03.05
2022.03.07
      S18W66            
12962 2022.03.05   8 2 N27W21 0010   BXO location: N26W23
S7407 2022.03.06       N09W50            
12964 2022.03.06
2022.03.07
9 18 12 S28W68 0060 DSO EAI beta-delta

reversed polarities

area: 0180

location: S27W69

S7409 2022.03.06       N19W21            
12965 2022.03.08 15 48 27 N23E47 0600 EKI FAI  
S7411 2022.03.08       S27W11            
12966 2022.03.08
2022.03.09
4 5 3 S23W75 0010 BXO CRO area: 0020

location: S23W77

S7414 2022.03.09       S32W10            
S7415 2022.03.09       S31W54            
S7417 2022.03.10       S19E13          
S7418 2022.03.10   1 1 S16E54 0006   HRX  
S7419 2022.03.10   3 1 S21E69 0010   CRO  
S7420 2022.03.10       S16W24          
S7421 2022.03.11   1 1 N17E74 0050   HSX    
S7422 2022.03.11   1   N30E65 0002   AXX    
S7423 2022.03.11   5   S22W01 0006   BXO    
S7424 2022.03.11   2   S33W00 0003   AXX    
Total spot count: 31 107 53  
Sunspot number: 81 217 133  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 61 141 87  (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): 89 119 106  

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
2020.08 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 35.3 (+3.9) 6.19
2021.09 87.0 88.2 51.3 (39.9 projected, +4.6) 6.33
2021.10 88.9 88.3 38.1 (43.6 projected, +3.7) 7.38
2021.11 86.2 84.4 35.0 (48.2 projected, +4.6) 9.83
2021.12 103.0 99.8 67.6 (54.0 projected, +5.8) 6.40
2022.01 103.8 100.5 54.0 (57.7 projected, +3.7) 8.92
2022.02 109.1 106.5 59.7 (62.4 projected, +4.7) 10.5
2022.03 115.5 (1)   29.4 (2A) / 82.8 (2B) / 80.7 (2C) (67.9 projected, +5.5) (10.6)
2022.04       (73.0 projected, +5.1)  
2022.05       (79.4 projected, +6.4)  
2022.06       (85.3 projected, +5.9)  
2022.07       (92.6 projected, +7.3)  
2022.08       (99.2 projected, +6.6)  

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.