Solar activity has remained at low levels this past week. The largest event of the period was a C3.4 flare originating from Region 4446.   

There are nine numbered regions on the visible disk. Region 4452 showed notable growth and new flux emergence. Region 4450 decayed to plage, though unassociated transitory pores were observed to its east and west. Region 4443 decayed into a unipolar spot as it approached the west limb following the loss of its leading components.

Regions 4453, 4454 and 4455 were numbered during the period. Far-side satellite imagery from Solar Orbiter indicates that Region 4455 is likely a large bipolar group with its trailing opposite-polarity spots still located behind the east limb and was numbered proactively due to its flaring potential. All other regions either continued in slow decay or remained stable.   A faint, potentially partial-halo, coronal mass ejection (CME) first seen in LASCO C2 imagery on May 26 and subsequently in GOES/CCOR1 was analyzed. No obvious on-disk source exists. Modeling suggests a possible glancing blow at Earth on May 31. Additionally, narrow eruptions associated with flaring from newly numbered Region 4444 were seen in SUVI imagery but these features are well northward of the ecliptic plane with no Earth-directed components. No other Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed in available coronagraph imagery.  

Solar activity is expected to be at low to moderate levels through May 30. There remains a chance for isolated M-class flares (R1-R2/minor-moderate) driven by the eruptive potential of the southeast sunspot groups and newly numbered Region 4454.   Solar wind parameters remained slightly elevated and possibly indicative of weak negative polarity coronal hole high-speed stream (-CH HSS)influences.   

Solar wind speeds varied modestly between 350 and 425 km/s. The phi angle was predominantly in the negative sector (towards the Sun), though minor deviations were observed later in the period.   Solar wind parameters are expected to remain mildly enhanced due to weak coronal high speed stream (-CH HSS) influences through May 29. A return toward near-background, nominal conditions is anticipated by May 30.  

Weekly Commentary on the Sun, the Magnetosphere, and the Earth's Ionosphere, May 28, 2026

Observations of the far side of the Sun by the Solar Orbiter probe showed us how a new and relatively large active region was approaching the northeastern limb of the solar disk. But it wasn’t until it began to emerge on May 28 (designated as AR 4455) that it became clear the recent rise in solar activity would continue. Furthermore, the only significant coronal hole in the higher northern heliographic latitudes is sufficiently far from other active regions, so we need not expect a significant intensification of the solar wind.  

Therefore, we could expect calmer conditions in the Earth’s magnetosphere and, at the same time, higher usable frequencies in the ionosphere for long-distance communications before their seasonal decline. However, summer in the ionosphere of the Earth’s northern hemisphere, with higher attenuation in the lower ionosphere during the long days, will often be enlivened by sporadic E layers in the mid-latitudes until August.

  For more information concerning shortwave radio propagation, see
http://www.arrl.org/propagation and the ARRL Technical Information
Service web page at, http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For
an explanation of numbers used in this bulletin, see
http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere . Information and
tutorials on propagation can be found at, http://k9la.us/ .

Also, check this:

https://bit.ly/3Rc8Njt

"Understanding Solar Indices" from September 2002 QST.