AAVSO HOME > observing > programs > solar > bulletin > feb 03
 
 
 
Observing
Observing Programs
  Visual
  CCD
  Exoplanet Transit Search
  High Energy Network
  Photoelectric (PEP)
  Infrared Photometry
  Supernova Search
  Nova Search
  Eclipsing Binary
  RR Lyrae
  Sunspots and SID
  Observing Campaigns
Observing Aids
Submit Observations
Charts
 
Main sections of web
The AAVSO
Variable Stars
Observing
Access Data
Publications
Support
Education and Outreach
 
Pick a star

Create a light curve
Recent Observations
Find charts
VSX      
 

Solar Bulletin, February 2003

Solar Bulletin

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF VARIABLE STAR OBSERVERS - SOLAR DIVISION
Carl E. Feehrer, Editor
9 Gleason Rd.
Bedford, MA 01730		Email: cfeehrer@hotmail.com

ISSN 0271-8480
Volume 59 Number 2February 2003
Table I. Mean Sunspot Numbers for February 2003
[boldface = maximum, minimum]		Table II. February Observers
Day N Raw s.d. Ra s.d. s.e.
1 30 60 2.3 44 1.4 0.26
2 33 65 3.7 45 1.4 0.24
3 31 57 3.8 41 1.8 0.32
4 33 61 4.0 44 2.2 0.38
5 32 83 4.6 60 2.5 0.44
6 32 102 5.0 79 2.6 0.46
7 30 117 8.0 86 2.7 0.49
8 35 128 7.5 92 3.5 0.59
9 35 135 8.3 101 3.9 0.66
10 29 113 5.3 84 2.8 0.52
11 27 109 6.1 83 2.4 0.46
12 33 107 5.0 79 2.6 0.45
13 25 89 5.8 65 2.5 0.50
14 30 66 4.0 50 2.0 0.37 37
15 29 31 4.4 22 2.2 0.41
16 31 29 2.8 20 1.7 0.31
17 30 18 1.7 12 1.3 0.24
18 21 39 3.3 31 2.8 0.61
19 23 50 2.7 39 2.0 0.42
20 28 71 3.7 54 2.1 0.40
21 24 67 4.4 49 2.2 0.45
22 22 50 3.8 38 2.2 0.47
23 29 43 2.4 33 1.6 0.30
24 25 45 3.1 33 2.1 0.42
25 30 47 1.8 35 1.2 0.22
26 32 47 3.9 35 2.0 0.35
27 37 58 2.4 43 1.7 0.28
28 25 53 3.8 38 1.4 0.28
29 --- --- --- --- --- ---
30 --- --- --- --- --- ---
31 --- --- --- --- --- ---
Means:29.369.2 51.3  
No. of Observations: 821
No. of Observers: 67

Reporting Addresses

Sunspot Reports -- email: solar@aavso.org

postal mail: AAVSO, 25 Birch St. Cambridge, MA 02138
FAX (AAVSO): (617) 354-0665

SID Solar Flare Reports -- email: noatak@aol.com

postal mail: Mike Hill 114 Prospect St. Marlboro, MA 01752
8 AAP P.Abbott
16 ARAG G.Araujo
13 ATON A.Attanasio
9 BARH H.Barnes
6 BATR R.Battaiola
6 BERJ J.Berdejo
17 BMF M.Boschat
18 BOSB B.Bose
9 BRAD D.Branchett
8 BRAR R.Branch
21 BROB R.Brown
28 CHAG G.Morales
9 CKB B.Cudnik
4 CLZ C.Laurent
1 COMT T.Compton
28 CORA A.Coroas
25 CR T.Cragg
2 CVJ J.Carvajal
8 DELS S.Delaney
1 DEMF F.Dempsey
10 DGP G.Dyck
13 DRAJ J.Dragesco
19 ELR E.Reed
10 FEEC C.Feehrer
9 FERJ J.Fernandes
14 FLET T.Fleming
20 FUJK K.Fujimori
14 GIOR R.Giovanoni
10 GOEM M.Goetz
10 GOTS S.Gottschalk
8 HAYK K.Hay
18 JAMD D.James
19 JEFT T.Jeffrey
18 KAPJ J.Kaplan
17 KHAR R.Khan
18 KNJS J&S Knight
6 KROL L.Krozel
6 LARJ J.Larriba
2 LERM M.Lerman
15 LEVM M.Leventhal
16 MALK K.Malde
5 MARE E.Mariani
23 MARJ J.Maranon
20 MCE E.Mochizuki
19 MMI M.Moeller
1 MUDG G.Mudry
17 RICE E.Richardson
12 RITA A.Ritchie
21 SCGL G.Schott
5 SIMC C.Simpson
10 STAB B.Gordon-States
2 STEF G.Stefanopoulis
21 STEM G.Stemmler
11 STQ N.Stoikidis
24 SUZM M.Suzuki
17 SZAK K.Szatkowski
15 SZUM M.Szulc
8 TESD D.Teske
15 THR R.Thompson
7 TJV J.Temprano
17 URBP P.Urbanski
5 VALD D.del Valle
16 VARG A.Vargas
6 VELM M.Velea
1 VIDD D.Vidican
5 WILW W.Wilson
9 YESH H.Yesilyaprak

Table III. Means of Raw Group Counts (RG) and Ratios of Spots to Groups (S:G) in February   2003
Day RG S:G Day RG S:G Day RG S:G Day RG S:G
1 4.7 2.8 9 9.4 4.4 17 1.3 3.9 25 3.2 4.7
2 4.2 5.5 10 7.8 4.5 18 2.9 3.5 26 3.6 3.1
3 2.8 10.4 11 7.8 4.0 19 3.3 5.2 27 4.4 3.2
4 3.3 8.5 12 7.9 3.5 20 4.2 6.9 28 3.8 4.0
5 5.2 6.0 13 6.9 2.9 21 3.6 8.6 29 --- ---
6 6.3 6.2 14 5.1 2.9 22 2.9 7.2 30 --- ---
7 7.7 5.2 15 2.2 4.1 23 2.4 7.9 31 --- ---
8 9.0 4.2 16 2.3 2.6 24 2.4 8.8 Mn. 4.7 5.2

Figure 1
Click image to enlarge.
Fig.1. 10 cm Solar Flux and Comparison of Ri (provisional) and Ra Estimates for February 2003 (r=0.986).
(Ri Source: http://sidc..oma.be/index.php3)
(10cm Source: http://www.drao.nrc.ca/icarus)

Figure 2
Click image to enlarge.
Fig.2 Maximum, Mean, and Minimum Ra Values for Each Month from January 2001 to Present.

Michael Hill, SID Analyst
114 Prospect St
Marlborough, MA 01752 USA
noatak@aol.com

Sudden Ionospheric Disturbances (SID) Recorded During February 2003

(Analysis performed by Michael Hill, SID Analyst)
Date Max Imp Date Max Imp Date Max Imp
030201 0614 1+ 030222 0930 1+      
030201 0744 1- 030228 0630 1      
030201 0904 2+            
030202 0543 1-            
030202 0637 1-            
030202 0908 1+            
030203 0458 1-            
030206 0348 3            
030211 1730 1            
030212 0544 2            
030212 1611 1            
030214 0211 2+            
030214 0526 1+            
030214 0636 1            
030214 0911 2+            
030214 0918 1+            
030215 0758 3            
030215 0847 3            
030221 0508 1            
030221 0611 2            
030221 0715 1+            
030221 1439 1+            
030221 1514 1-            
030221 1725 2+            
030222 0511 1+            


Importance rating: Duration -1: <191: 19-251+: 26-322: 33-452+: 46-853: 86-1253+: >125

Observer Code Station(s) monitored
A Clerkin A29 NAA
J Winkler A50 NAA NPR
D Toldo A52 NWC
A Panzer A83 NAA
W Moos A84 FTA
M Hill A87 NAA
G DiFillipo A93 DHO HWU
R Battiola A96 HWU
J Wallace A97 NAA
M King A99 HWU
F Steyn A102 NAA NWC
B Bose A103 VTX3
L Observatory A107 DHO38
The events listed above meet at least one of the following criteria
  1. Event reported by two or more observers within +/- 5 minutes
  2. Event matched to GOES-8 XRA event to within +/- 15 minutes and event time < 1000 UT
  3. Reported by observer with a high quality rating > 8 (scale 1-10)

SID ratings

Solar Events

February was another slow month for SID detection. I got many reports with an apology for not having so many events to report as usual. Of course I know you all weren't really apologizing out of guilt but more from frustration that the results were on the meager side. The event counts submitted remind me of the AAVSO Variable star submissions list that is published once a year in the journal. Some observers have submitted many many observations over the course of the year. Others have submitted only 10 or 15, or less for some. All the observations, however, become part of the big picture and so all of them, either 10 or 1000, are just as valuable. And so it is for your observations. Even if your report contains only 2 SID events for the month, they are just as important as 20 or more that someone else has detected. Just as important . . .

There were 174 X-Ray flares detected by the GOES-8 Satellite this month. Of those only three were M-Class. The rest were lower C or B Class events. This is certainly one of the lowest counts I have seen since I have been counting. Not suprisingly, in response to these lower levels of activity, there were only 27 correlated SID events reported for the month. There were a couple of long duration events with an importance rating of 3, but most of these had a lower importance rating in the 1 to 1+ range.

Solar Flare Summary
 
  search engine |  site map |  links |  contact us