No solar images were taken today, April 14, 2018, due to unfavorable weather condition (overcast sky with moderate breeze) at the proposed time of observation.
Solar activity remains at very low levels over the past 24 hours.Space weather agencies were monitoring the status of the lone visible sunspot group AR2704. Still possessing relatively tiny bipolar (beta) structure, it produced few minor flares ranging from A-class to B-class intensity based on space weather records. The latest sunspot number (based on visual count and Wolf number calculation) is 14. Some large eruptive prominences at limbs, filaments and plages were distinctively seen in H-alpha imagery.
Despite the presence of few sunspots, expect some re-occurrence of geomagnetic storms because of an another huge coronal hole opening in the Sun which could brief aurora in the polar regions, and brief radio and satellite communication disruptions in the next few days as tremendous amount of solar wind will be streaming out from the Sun. More information about it here.
Space weather agencies* forecast solar activity to remain at very low levels with chances of weak X-ray fluxes or flares ranging up to B-class intensity. The extent of the frequency and intensity of the Sun’s activity will highly depend on the magnetic flux fluctuations happening in the visible ARs in the coming days. Close monitoring is being conducted by numerous space weather agencies for any significant development.
*Technical reports courtesy of Solar Influence Data Center (SIDC), NOAA-Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA-SWPC)
*FALSE-COLOR VISIBLE AND MONOCHROME H-ALPHA IMAGERY COURTESY OF SOLARHAM.COM AND DAYSTARFILTERS.COM RESPECTIVELY
