Solar activity drops for second month

Following a spectacular rise in solar activity at the end of 2020, which saw the higher HF bands light up very well, the sunspot number has decreased for the second month in a row. 

 

Whilst this kind of spike has been seen in the past, and is probably just part of the normal noisy plot of sunpot numbers, the precise form and timing of it is not as common as we might expect.  The last analogues of this spike seem best represented in the data of the early 20th century.

Latest solar image at 171Å.  The small active area is only evident in visible light as a slight plage.

 

Still, the trend is, hopefully, still upward, and that we'll see a return to a strong upward slope within the next few months.