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Tracking the Solar CycleSources of Solar Data for Mapping the Current Solar Cycle's Progression
Aug 23, 2010 © Harry P. Schlanger
Governmental agencies provide for the dissemination of solar activity data and information. The breadth of coverage is impressive and the information and data, relevant and timely.
A previous article presented an introduction to the
solar cycle and another offered an overview of
the many
indices that quantify solar activity.
The sun's magnetic field gives rise to its solar activity, which is affected by the cyclic nature of
magnetic field changes. Solar activity and phenomena are continuously observed and recorded here
on earth.
Many countries have governmental agencies that provide primary data of solar activity and information,
which can be used to monitor current solar cycle 24.
Numerous websites assemble these data for presentation in different groupings for different emphases.
Space Weather Providers
The premier website for solar information and data is provided by the Space Weather Prediction Center (SPWC)
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) located in Boulder, CO, USA. The SWPC makes
available an extensive list of
reports and summaries
, which are updated regularly. This includes background information and most recent graphs depicting the
solar cycle's progression, showing key
solar indices:
- Sunspot number (see sample in Fig. 1)
- 10.7 cm solar radio flux
- Planetary Ap index
The graphs are updated on the first Tuesday of each month.
Fig 1. One of the monthly updated graphs provided by NOAA: Observed
Sunspot Number.
Each month, the new data (shown in blue) is plotted and this can be compared to the
predicted curve (red).
The United States government's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in a joint project
with European Space Agency (ESP) produce a website called Solar And Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
to study the Sun from its deep core to the outer corona and the solar wind. A webpage providing
real time images of the sun
and space weather is available.
The Australian Space Weather Agency provides an excellent world data centre, space
weather information and solar activity data. For example, there is
observed and predicted
solar index data for cycle 24: sunspot number and 10.7 cm solar radio flux.
Websites Assembling Solar Information
A large number of websites provide service assembling various combinations of solar data and information
for general viewing and research.
Of note is solen.info with their
Solar Terrestrial Activity Report.
It contains an extensive database of detailed historical graphs of individual solar cycles to date and
comparisons between different cycles, showing cycles with similar variation in amplitude and period
(see Fig 2).
Fig 2. Sample graph showing a comparison between various solar cycles
The current nominal 11-year cycle is the red line - cycle 24, which is updated each month.
Various geomagnetic data and solar wind charts are also available. There is a rich source of recent
activity such as: planetary A index, solar radio flux and coronal mass ejections (CME), including clear
photos of recent solar regions.
The Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory (LMSAL) located in Palo Alto, CA, provide a
large collection
of current predictions, observed active solar data, images and movies of the sun.
Solarcycle24.com is another website that provides solar data,
trend charts that include the
Hathaway prediction, and there is a forum where people can subscribe to discussions about Solar Cycle 24.
The copyright of the article Tracking the Solar Cycle: Sources of Solar Data for Mapping the Current Solar Cycle's Progression is owned by Harry P. Schlanger. Permission to republish in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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