Solar Report for this week

Five new sunspot groups emerged this week: one on August 17, another on August 18, two more on August 21, and another on August 22.

Average daily sunspot numbers rose slightly from 95.7 to 105.9, while the average daily solar flux declined from 154.2 to 149.4.

There weren’t any big geomagnetic events this week to report. The average daily planetary A index changed from 6 to 8.4, while the average daily middle latitude index changed from 7.7 to 10.1.

Predicted solar flux is 150 on August 24; 155 on August 25 – 26; 160, 165, and 165 on August 27 – 29; 160, 165, and 165 on August 30 through September 1; 163 and 160 on September 2 – 3; 162 on September 4 – 5; 158 on September 6 – 7; 160 and 162 on September 8 – 9; 158 on September 10 – 11; 155 on September 12; 152 on September 13 – 15; 153 on September 16 – 18; 155 on September 19, and 158 on September 20 – 23.

Predicted planetary A index is 8 on August 24 – 25; 5, 10, and 8 on August 26 – 28; 5 on August 29 through September 5; 10, 8, and 8 on September 6 – 8; 5 on September 9 – 13; 12 on September 14; 10 on September 15 – 17, and 5 on September 18 through the end of the month.

Jeremy Gill of Seattle, Washington, shared the article, “Laboratory measurements of the physics of auroral electron acceleration by Alfvén waves,” which has information on aurora activity and the ionosphere. Read it at https://bit.ly/44sRGgh.

Read some shrill warnings of solar activity at https://bit.ly/3qHy6za, https://bit.ly/3YLsoci, https://bit.ly/3QNx8w3, and https://bit.ly/3OJRCTP.

Sunspot numbers for August 17 – 23, 2023, were 135, 112, 104, 93, 102, 96, and 99, with a mean of 105.9. The 10.7-centimeter flux was 151.9, 150.6, 150.6, 146.3, 148.7, 150.9, and 147, with a mean of 149.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 8, 11, 8, 11, 9, 8, and 4, with a mean of 8.4. Middle latitude A index was 10, 14, 8, 12, 10, 12, and 5, with a mean of 10.1.