Solar Activity Report: April 13 - 19, 2026

Solar activity remained at low levels during the reporting period. X‑ray flux was predominantly within the B‑class range, with only occasional short‑lived increases into the C‑class. Active region 14419 was the dominant contributor, responsible for five of the seven C‑class flares recorded, including the strongest event of the week, a C4.1 flare on April 17. Additional low‑level C‑class flares were observed on April 13, 16, 17, and 18, while the remainder of the week stayed within the B‑class range. A few CMEs were detected, none with Earth‑directed components.

GONG network status

As of 18 April: 

• The Learmonth instrument is operational, and the sky is clear. 
• The Udaipur instrument is operational, and the sky is clear. On April 19, the Camera Rotator stopped rotating. Local support team was requested to check if the Camera Rotator amplifier may have a blown fuse. The observations are taken, but the image orientation is not correct (see images below taken on 18 and 19 April). UPDATE: on 20 April, GONG/UD was put into PM mode (no observations are taken) while the team is resolving the issues with oscillations in the camera rotator and the turret. 
• In early April, the internet connectivity at Udaipur experienced some instability. This was traced to a piece of cable chewed by the panther. This piece of cable was now replaced.
• The El Teide instrument is operational, and the sky is mostly cloudy.
• The Cerro Tololo instrument is operational, and the sky is clear.
• The Big Bear instrument is operational, and the sky is partly cloudy.
• The Mauna Loa instrument is down.
• Two engineering sites in Boulder, Colorado (TC and TE) are down for testing.
  
  
   

Solar Activity Report: April 6 - 12, 2026

 Solar activity fluctuated from low to moderate and back to low levels during the week. Most flares were in the C‑class X‑ray range. The week began with only low‑level C‑class activity, followed by an increase to a C5.7 flare on April 7, a C8.9 flare on April 8, and an M1.0 flare on April 9. Activity then dropped sharply on April 10, with only B‑class X‑ray levels observed, and a single C1.9 flare on April 11. Conditions rose slightly on the final day of the week, producing several low C‑class flares, the strongest of which was C2.4. Overall, active region 14409 was the most productive region, generating 11 C‑class flares and one impulsive M‑class flare. No earth-directed CMEs were detected during this period.

Yuri's Night and the International Day of Human Space Flight

Today is the 65th anniversary of first human space flight. On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth in the Vostok-1 spacecraft. Coincidentally, the first Space Shuttle mission was also launched on April 12, but in 1981, 20 years after the Gagarin's flight.

Space weather posed issues from the beginning of human space exploration resulting in failure of communication satellites due to radiation damage and electric discharges and loss of satellites due to enhanced atmospheric drag  (DOI: 10.1080/29979676.2024.2391688). GONG network provides critical observations for the operational space weather forecast issued by the NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) and the prediction centers in other countries. 

Image shows a series of postage stamps issued in 2011 by the United Nations to commemorate 50 years of manned spaceflight. From left to right are the stamp depicting Yuri Gagarin's launch, an American astronaut on a ladder descending to the Moon's surface, the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, and Soviet Soyuz spacecraft on its way to docking in orbit with the American Apollo spacecraft.

In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly designated April 12 as the International Day of Human flight. Yuri's Night is celebrated internationally since 2001.

GONG/LE is back on-line

Internet connection to GONG station at Learmonth, Australia was restored, and the observations taken on previous days are now flowing to NISP data center. Attached images show example of magnetograms taken on 7-10 April 2026. Status of GONG network can be checked at the Network Monitor site and the data could be accessed via the main NISP data website.

 

Three Decades of Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG): From Helioseismology to Magnetic Field and Space Weather (Invited Review)

A review article on GONG has been published in Solar Physics. It offers a rich historical perspective on the network’s three‑decade evolution, tracing its origins as a three‑year program focused on full‑disk helioseismic Doppler measurements to its current role as a major data source for space‑weather prediction. The article also outlines a forward‑looking discussion on the next major chapter: highlighting plans for the next‑generation network, ngGONG.  

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits free access while restricting commercial use and modifications.

DOI: 10.1007/s11207-026-02639-9

GONG/ML Status

The temporary Mauna Loa Access Road was officially completed on March 26th. 

While the road is officially open, the official status of the Mauna Loa Observatory remains closed to the general public. Since the site will be an active construction zone for the next two years, NOAA staff will tightly schedule site access for mission-critical activities only to ensure personnel safety. All visitors require explicit authorization to access the site.

Regarding utilities, NOAA does not have a date for commercial power restoration, but is actively engaging with the local utility provider.

Contractors are now on site at MLO installing off-grid solar electric systems for NOAA and MLSO.

Photo: Ben Berkey, HAO/MLSO