Incoming Regions (de-commissioned)

[Sam Warfel]

10 minutes ago, Newbie said:

Southern Victoria,  Australia

Ahhh, so it’s winter for you instead of summer. That explains it lol 

[Newbie]

Yes winter has hit with a vengeance! 

On 5/31/2022 at 12:22 PM, MinYoongi said:

When is 3007 due to return?

3007 is now officially a no show!

Just an area of plage!

Newbie

[Sam Warfel]

Farside maps don’t mean everything…

[MinYoongi]

3 hours ago, Orneno said:

Farside maps don’t mean everything…

Hm?

[WildWill]

17 hours ago, Orneno said:

I’ve got highs in the mid-70s, pretty good, but I’d take some cool. 
It was freezing? Dang, where do you live? (Like what country or state)

 

19 hours ago, Newbie said:

Hello WildWill, I know you posted in another thread but I will reply here

After the limb flare yesterday I thought there could be spots appearing too but it looks like a plage area now.

Never mind even seasoned experts get it wrong. The Sun is predictable in its' unpredictability. 

(So my dog is a Bull Arab - an Aussie breed ~ around 50 kg, her hair is very short, she sleeps in front of the wood fire with a blanket)

I'd swap you some of your 94F at the moment,  below 0ºC last night.

Newbie

 

102F yesterday… looking like close to that again today… I think it’s all the sunspots! I wonder what the flux is here today… W/m^2

Just tell me where you want me to ship it! We’ve got plenty to spare… “but it’s a wet heat”!  Water included!

We just returned from the vet, Alex, the runt of the litter weighs in at 106lbs or 106/2.236 kg ;>). Half Alaskan Malemute, the other half is German Shepherd & Canadian Eskimo dog, he is really not enjoying the heat at all… 

I just got a pair of Omega H-alpha etelons. I’m currently looking for a tilter, but I’m gonna try out the primary today! Only US$260 for the set, I’m crossing my fingers… 260 for H-alpha - that’s a bargain. Of course, like my dad used to say, if it sounds too good to be true - it is…  we’ll see.

I saw a reference somewhere for a 3-D “near real time” image of the sun, but I was having some connectivity issues at the time and couldn’t get to it. Do any of y’all know anything about this?
 

im trying to get a grip on the satellite observatories up there, and it occurred to me that it would be very cool to have an observatory in orbit, opposite from the earth - at the same distance from the sun, along with one leading the earth by 60 degrees and another trailing the earth by 60 degrees… and do the same thing - 3 satellites 120 degrees apart - in a polar orbit…. We would have a really good view then!

I know. I talk too much, my apologies. Too much time at home alone!

[Newbie]

23 hours ago, Orneno said:

Farside maps don’t mean everything…

TBH I have never really spent much time looking at far side maps.

That pale yellow and brown map reminds me of cheesy pizza lol!

With the deployment of STEREO A & B, some areas of the Sun's farside were able to be monitored. 

Unfortunately STEREO B has not been operational since 2014. The distance between the satellites in their geosynchronous orbit, is narrowing, which reduces the angle of view that STEREO A has of the  Suns' far side.

IMO, the best indication of far side activity, as active regions approach the limb, are increases in SFI and  background flux, as well as the observation of flares and loops of magnetism.

Far side activity away from the limb can show up as CME's detected in CACTus and proton events or storms from strong flaring.

It has been reported that large far side active regions can cause changes in the vibration of the Sun (which indicate their presence) but a lot can change in the 14 or so days it takes to transit the far side. 

Wouldn't we all love to be able to make predictions about what is going to happen on the Sun and have those predictions come to pass? Hmm!

I don't have a crystal ball, I just take each day as it comes.

Newbie

Edited June 4, 2022 by Newbie

[WildWill]

35 minutes ago, Newbie said:

Wouldn't we all love to be able to make predictions about what is going to happen on the Sun and have those predictions come to pass? Hmm!

I don't have crystal ball, I just take each day as it comes.

Newbie

What about an online gambling site - bet on which active regions are gonna produce, flares, etc. odds would probably be similar to roulette…

whatcha think?

I had read about STEREO A & B and I remember when they lost contact with S-B. I suppose they were doing the same kinda thing with A leading the earth 120 degrees and B lagging the earth 120 degrees…. Really too bad about STEREO B. But, I believe they both exceeded their mission operational lifetime. 
 

The H-a primary etalon was pretty cool today. It was pretty dim, behind an ND 5.0 blocking filter, but I could see some granules. 
 

There seems to be a little action going on at the eastern limb - around 20 degrees S and 20 degrees N…. Anyone making odds?

I gotta get me a tent - I am just fried from those sunspots!

[Newbie]

9 hours ago, WildWill said:

What about an online gambling site - bet on which active regions are gonna produce, flares, etc. odds would probably be similar to roulette…

whatcha think?

I had read about STEREO A & B and I remember when they lost contact with S-B. I suppose they were doing the same kinda thing with A leading the earth 120 degrees and B lagging the earth 120 degrees…. Really too bad about STEREO B. But, I believe they both exceeded their mission operational lifetime. 
 

The H-a primary etalon was pretty cool today. It was pretty dim, behind an ND 5.0 blocking filter, but I could see some granules. 
 

There seems to be a little action going on at the eastern limb - around 20 degrees S and 20 degrees N…. Anyone making odds?

I gotta get me a tent - I am just fried from those sunspots!

Hahaha I like your humour

I'm not a betting man!

Mainly because I'm a girl!

I don't know much about roulette apart from what I've seen in movies.

Anyone trying to make a buck out of predicting anything on the Sun, good luck to them, because they will need it and some.

I fear there'll be a lot more poor people around. 

Now WildWill, being serious for a minute, you are not going to get fried by sunspots!! You're joking right?

UV, now that's a different matter.

Also when people observe the Sun with a telescope (not you of course because you said you had one) they must always use a sun filter and so on.

Re STEREO mission, it far exceeded expectations and is still a valuable tool. I was interested in the program and I had  the opportunity to ask one of the top guys in NASA/NOAA about it. He didn't know details but asked around and came back with "this year the satellite was making its' closest approach to Earth and they were going to attempt re-establishing communications". No further updates since.

I saw those bright spots too, but unless flux increases soon they'll probably turn out to be faculae like everything else that has come into view from the limb recently. Hope I'm wrong! 

Update: Three low level B flares from that Southern region turning into view!

Newbie

 

Edited June 4, 2022 by Newbie

[MinYoongi]

Comparing the Farside maps, in the last 12 hours 3014 grew again. it has been growing constantly for days now.

May i ask why you dont really trust the farside maps @Orneno ? Btw, any interesting CME's from those regions on the farside? 

[LunarLights58]

The Sun's pretty "meh" right now, ain't it?

[Newbie]

9 hours ago, WildWill said:

 

102F yesterday… looking like close to that again today… I think it’s all the sunspots! I wonder what the flux is here today… W/m^2

Just tell me where you want me to ship it! We’ve got plenty to spare… “but it’s a wet heat”!  Water included!

We just returned from the vet, Alex, the runt of the litter weighs in at 106lbs or 106/2.236 kg ;>). Half Alaskan Malemute, the other half is German Shepherd & Canadian Eskimo dog, he is really not enjoying the heat at all… 

I just got a pair of Omega H-alpha etelons. I’m currently looking for a tilter, but I’m gonna try out the primary today! Only US$260 for the set, I’m crossing my fingers… 260 for H-alpha - that’s a bargain. Of course, like my dad used to say, if it sounds too good to be true - it is…  we’ll see.

I saw a reference somewhere for a 3-D “near real time” image of the sun, but I was having some connectivity issues at the time and couldn’t get to it. Do any of y’all know anything about this?
 

im trying to get a grip on the satellite observatories up there, and it occurred to me that it would be very cool to have an observatory in orbit, opposite from the earth - at the same distance from the sun, along with one leading the earth by 60 degrees and another trailing the earth by 60 degrees… and do the same thing - 3 satellites 120 degrees apart - in a polar orbit…. We would have a really good view then!

I know. I talk too much, my apologies. Too much time at home alone!

1. Forward the heat to Southern Victoria and we'll even have the water!

2. SFI is 101, goes x-ray flux B 3.4

3. Poor pups aren't suited to warmer areas - beautiful looking animals. All that fur!

4. Good rule of thumb - it probably is too good. Hope you get a bargain.

5. Solarham provides latest images of the Sun HMI Intensity and HMI Magnetogram. (Apologies to SWL they probably have the link too)

6. How cool would it be to get that 360º view of the Sun, unfortunately there are no plans in the pipeline to put up more satellites to that end. They have other priorities.

7. Talk away -all good

Newbie

17 minutes ago, LunarLights58 said:

The Sun's pretty "meh" right now, ain't it?

Have to agree!

Edited June 4, 2022 by Newbie

[3gMike]

6 hours ago, MinYoongi said:

Comparing the Farside maps, in the last 12 hours 3014 grew again. it has been growing constantly for days now.

May i ask why you dont really trust the farside maps @Orneno ? Btw, any interesting CME's from those regions on the farside? 

It is worth bearing in mind that the farside maps represent zones of strong magnetic activity. The growth you are observing in the zone identified as FS_2022_035 covers an area that previously encompassed ARs 3011 (long130/lat18), 3014 (long104/lat22), 3015 (long111/lat11) and 3017(long90/lat12). There is not sufficient data to allow us to be certain if any particular AR is still active, but we can be sure that any growth is not solely attributable to AR3014.

[MinYoongi]

6 hours ago, 3gMike said:

It is worth bearing in mind that the farside maps represent zones of strong magnetic activity. The growth you are observing in the zone identified as FS_2022_035 covers an area that previously encompassed ARs 3011 (long130/lat18), 3014 (long104/lat22), 3015 (long111/lat11) and 3017(long90/lat12). There is not sufficient data to allow us to be certain if any particular AR is still active, but we can be sure that any growth is not solely attributable to AR3014.

But Gong actually does differ between the regions. well, atleast they try. 

Also i see the other regions weakening around it, while it grows in a very specific place.. But i get what youre saying and youre right, we just have to wait.

[3gMike]

3 hours ago, MinYoongi said:

But Gong actually does differ between the regions. well, atleast they try. 

Also i see the other regions weakening around it, while it grows in a very specific place.. But i get what youre saying and youre right, we just have to wait.

I agree that on today's plot 2022-06-04.0 it definitely looks like the most intense activity seems to correlate with the previous location of 3014.

Nice to see that we have a couple of new spots AR3028 and AR3029 on the East limb. Only alphas at present, and activity generally still very low, but at least some hope that they may grow over the next few days.

[WildWill]

15 hours ago, Newbie said:

1. Forward the heat to Southern Victoria and we'll even have the water!

2. SFI is 101, goes x-ray flux B 3.4

3. Poor pups aren't suited to warmer areas - beautiful looking animals. All that fur!

4. Good rule of thumb - it probably is too good. Hope you get a bargain.

5. Solarham provides latest images of the Sun HMI Intensity and HMI Magnetogram. (Apologies to SWL they probably have the link too)

6. How cool would it be to get that 360º view of the Sun, unfortunately there are no plans in the pipeline to put up more satellites to that end. They have other priorities.

7. Talk away -all good

Newbie

Have to agree!

You are gonna have to pay the shipping… how many tankers, you recon ya gonna wont? I actually know all about that stuff: demurrage.  But, I do need to find a telex machine and a bank account. You supply the account and I’ll find a telex machine. Deal?

Yes, definitely joking about getting fried by sunspots. I was an aerospace engineer at one time (Texas A&M University - one e top 3 engineering schools in the US) I worked on submarines for the Navy, as well as a satellite.  (Creating mathematical models, design tools, water tunnel simulations. Also worked on a satellite program for the Air Force. My area of expertise was dynamics and controls, so I worked on the control system & some other cool stuff. I had to learn a little about solar radiation. I’ve been learning a lot more these last few months - and therE is so much more to learn!

Yes, I am joking about sunspot activity at the moment being a driver for global warming and climate change. On a longer term, I do I had seen similar  in the past, a fellow in my Astronomy Club, at the Jan or Feb meeting, put together a slide presentation which directly correlated solar activity with temperature fluctuations going back to the Holocene period. Or more directly I  think it was solar radiation at the surface in W/m^2 - because things like large volcanic eruptions can also affect the ration striking the surface…  While it is probably an important driver, it is not the only driver. It was a pretty good presentation though, I can send you a copy if you like. Gotta warn you, it’s long… lol

Let the suckers play the game - be the house and make money. While I like playing blackjack, I view it more as “entertainment”, I set asIde so much cash ( usually $500 or $1000),- and I am entertained. If I lose it all, I don’t have a problem walking away. I usually come,out a little ahead, if I have a blood table - everyone playing against the dealer and with the odds… I also lay a couple of bets on the Kentucky Derby, every year, but that’s the only time I play the horses. However, I’m sure there would be plenty of people who became addicted to betting on solar weather!

Gambling is for losers - be the house. 

I was able to see the sun through the primary H-alpha etalon today, albeit dimly. I was able to see it (low magnification) with a 5.0 ND filter in front of the objective. It looked like I could see some granules as well as some activity - flares, prominences, other activity in the chromosphere. It was very dimly lit and fairly small - not enough light at higher magnification - so I can’t be certain of exactly what I saw. I’m in the market for a tilter now, so I can put it (image train) together with my camera. If this works well, I’m going to get a Ca K-line filter next.

i keep forgetting all the things that go with winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, in winter, we get fronts, called “Northers”, that bring Arctic,Siberian & northern Canadian air down here. We get one or two snowfalls every three years or so, on average. Meanwhile, while we are out in the baking sun, y’all are getting fronts from the south, frigid Antarctic air, rolling in from the south - how cool is that? I  can take it for a few hours and then I’m done with it (the cold) - that’s why I live in SE Texas! I would imagine that all that dense, frigid, Antarctic air that comes rolling in behind the fronts is probably colder than what comes rolling in behind the fronts from Siberia and the Arctic. I always wanted to visit Australia, but… I really don’t think I’ll be able to cross that one off the list…

If you got this far, thank you for listening to my rambling on… Oh, I put Alex’s picture as the pic on my profile. Fortunately, he takes after his mama and the German shepherd (mom’s mom. So, while he has an undercoat, his fur is not really long and it feels like a German shepherd’s coat. He still doesn’t like the heat very much. I want to take him up into the mountains up in Colorado and let him run wild. 
 

by the way, i am Larry (William is my first name, Larry comes from my middle name). I’m can be reached at *****@*****.com - drop me a note if you want a copy of that PowerPoint…

You have sunset at  5:08 PM  - I think the SHORT days as we approach the winter solstice (6/21), meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, in the northern hemisphere, we are approaching the summer solstice and the longest day of year. It’s a little later here… 

 

Write the previous yesterday, continuing today (6/4)

 

Cool, two newly designated ARs! I think I was looking at about 20 deg. S and right on The limb yesterday. It was looking very interesting on SDO/AIA at the smaller wavelengths.

Caught Jupiter & Mars this morning at 5 am, still very close, and then the sun rise! They said clear today - 45% cloud cover… gonna be off and on again today… 😩 and I set aside the day for solar viewing… think I’ll see if I can get the camera going.

 

Hope you are having a nice night down under yonder!

Blue Skies & Clear Nights!

[Maurizio Marsigli]

do we call them spots?

[Newbie]

On 6/5/2022 at 7:12 AM, WildWill said:

You are gonna have to pay the shipping… how many tankers, you recon ya gonna wont? I actually know all about that stuff: demurrage.  But, I do need to find a telex machine and a bank account. You supply the account and I’ll find a telex machine. Deal?

Yes, definitely joking about getting fried by sunspots. I was an aerospace engineer at one time (Texas A&M University - one e top 3 engineering schools in the US) I worked on submarines for the Navy, as well as a satellite.  (Creating mathematical models, design tools, water tunnel simulations. Also worked on a satellite program for the Air Force. My area of expertise was dynamics and controls, so I worked on the control system & some other cool stuff. I had to learn a little about solar radiation. I’ve been learning a lot more these last few months - and therE is so much more to learn!

Yes, I am joking about sunspot activity at the moment being a driver for global warming and climate change. On a longer term, I do I had seen similar  in the past, a fellow in my Astronomy Club, at the Jan or Feb meeting, put together a slide presentation which directly correlated solar activity with temperature fluctuations going back to the Holocene period. Or more directly I  think it was solar radiation at the surface in W/m^2 - because things like large volcanic eruptions can also affect the ration striking the surface…  While it is probably an important driver, it is not the only driver. It was a pretty good presentation though, I can send you a copy if you like. Gotta warn you, it’s long… lol

Let the suckers play the game - be the house and make money. While I like playing blackjack, I view it more as “entertainment”, I set asIde so much cash ( usually $500 or $1000),- and I am entertained. If I lose it all, I don’t have a problem walking away. I usually come,out a little ahead, if I have a blood table - everyone playing against the dealer and with the odds… I also lay a couple of bets on the Kentucky Derby, every year, but that’s the only time I play the horses. However, I’m sure there would be plenty of people who became addicted to betting on solar weather!

Gambling is for losers - be the house. J

I was able to see the sun through the primary H-alpha etalon today, albeit dimly. I was able to see it (low magnification) with a 5.0 ND filter in front of the objective. It looked like I could see some granules as well as some activity - flares, prominences, other activity in the chromosphere. It was very dimly lit and fairly small - not enough light at higher magnification - so I can’t be certain of exactly what I saw. I’m in the market for a tilter now, so I can put it (image train) together with my camera. If this works well, I’m going to get a Ca K-line filter next.

i keep forgetting all the things that go with winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, in winter, we get fronts, called “Northers”, that bring Arctic,Siberian & northern Canadian air down here. We get one or two snowfalls every three years or so, on average. Meanwhile, while we are out in the baking sun, y’all are getting fronts from the south, frigid Antarctic air, rolling in from the south - how cool is that? I  can take it for a few hours and then I’m done with it (the cold) - that’s why I live in SE Texas! I would imagine that all that dense, frigid, Antarctic air that comes rolling in behind the fronts is probably colder than what comes rolling in behind the fronts from Siberia and the Arctic. I always wanted to visit Australia, but… I really don’t think I’ll be able to cross that one off the list…

If you got this far, thank you for listening to my rambling on… Oh, I put Alex’s picture as the pic on my profile. Fortunately, he takes after his mama and the German shepherd (mom’s mom. So, while he has an undercoat, his fur is not really long and it feels like a German shepherd’s coat. He still doesn’t like the heat very much. I want to take him up into the mountains up in Colorado and let him run wild. 
 

by the way, i am Larry (William is my first name, Larry comes from my middle name). I’m can be reached at *****@*****.com - drop me a note if you want a copy of that PowerPoint…

You have sunset at  5:08 PM  - I think the SHORT days as we approach the winter solstice (6/21), meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, in the northern hemisphere, we are approaching the summer solstice and the longest day of year. It’s a little later here… 

 

Write the previous yesterday, continuing today (6/4)

 

Cool, two newly designated ARs! I think I was looking at about 20 deg. S and right on The limb yesterday. It was looking very interesting on SDO/AIA at the smaller wavelengths.

Caught Jupiter & Mars this morning at 5 am, still very close, and then the sun rise! They said clear today - 45% cloud cover… gonna be off and on again today… 😩 and I set aside the day for solar viewing… think I’ll see if I can get the camera going.

 

Hope you are having a nice night down under yonder!

Blue Skies & Clear Nights!

 

Hello WildWill aka Larry aka William 😄

Thanks for the water, 18 ml in the rain gauge when I checked this morning! I see I am expecting more deliveries for the next ten days! Thanks, (I think).

 By the way the cheque's in the mail! 😷

We are certainly not having clear nights and blue skies, quite the opposite. It's freezing cold and yes, the days are becoming shorter as we approach winter solstice. At 34º S one might expect quite mild winters but throw some altitude in! There has already been some snow in them thar hills.

So true about the cold fronts that come from Antarctica, there's nothing in the way to shield us from those cold Antarctic blasts.

Likewise for us here in summer being inland we get 38º C and above. Hottest I have experienced was 44ºC about 10 years ago.The state of Victoria is very much bushfire prone, tbh so is most of Australia. 

I saw you had a pic of your dog for your profile hence my comment. 

You certainly worked in an interesting industry.

Viewing the Sun through your telescope must be rewarding. I have seen some pretty amazing photos of filaments lately.  I am not really up with the lingo but I looked up what an etalon is, I see it is a precision filter that bounces light off two surfaces to create a narrow band pass because most of the other wavelengths are blocked so you see past the photosphere into the chromosphere. How cool is that!

Radiant heat from the Sun is responsible for heating masses of air on the Earth and their subsequent cooling drives our weather however I'm not so sure about other solar activity affecting the weather or the climate. Certainly incoming solar wind particles cause the thermosphere to heat up but the Earth's layers of atmosphere do such a good job at keeping the effects to a minimum. Volcanic activity as you so rightly mention has a big impact as well.

Breaking news: Just noticed a couple of C flares at time of writing. The sun has been very quiet lately. 

Hope you had success during your day observing, it's a good idea to get your camera going perhaps you can post some pics.

Newbie

 

10 hours ago, Maurizio Marsigli said:

do we call them spots?

Hmm! I see what you mean.

Miniscule!

From it's position it looks like 3029.

Newbie

Edited June 5, 2022 by Newbie

[MinYoongi]

Can we please stay a little more on topic? 

1 hour ago, Newbie said:

 

 

Breaking news: Just noticed a couple of C flares at time of writing. The sun has been very quiet lately. 

 

 

Woohoo! But what do you mean with a couple? Looking at the Xray Flux i only see one C Class flare

[Newbie]

8 hours ago, MinYoongi said:

Woohoo! But what do you mean with a couple? Looking at the Xray Flux i only see one C Class flare

Check out SolarSoft in the links menu at top of SWL Homepage C1.4, C1.7, different locations.

Edited June 5, 2022 by Newbie

[MinYoongi]

2 hours ago, Newbie said:

Check out SolarSoft in the links menu at top of SWL Homepage C1.4, C1.7, different locations.

Nice, thanks !  I mustve missed the other one  

[Newbie]

All good, nothing else to report sadly

The sun has gone to sleep!

[Newbie]

May not have to wait too long for some action

This is just around the limb. Particularly in SE corner.

Hoping to see an increase in flux.

This  was situation at 23:45 UT 05/06/2022

N.

[WildWill]

Newbie!
It (this page) doesn’t want to let me quote…. I’ve run through my data for the month - so it’s throttled back…

when I saw the active region I had commented on, get a number the evening before last, I was stoked…. 3028. Then yesterday, it lost its number, I was really bummed! I had such high hopes for 3028,  and 3029, when they were on the limb…

AR 3029 looks to have fizzled as well… one tiny little dot!  I don’t think I will be spending much time with it today! 
 

it also looks to be all quiet on the western front (limb) very soon. We had a day or so week before last (?) when it was just a blank face on the sun, but within a day or two, it had bloomed like bluebonnets in April! 
 

A couple of days later, I was out back (not outback) and spent a couple of hours checking out the active regions in the morning and then took a break from the heat for about three hours and went back out. Low and behold, there was a brand new pair of sunspots at about 20 degrees W, 20 degrees north! That’s what makes the sun the most exciting object in the sky to look at through a telescope! It can change in a matter of minutes!  When I’ve looked at the Great Nebula of Orion (M 42), I’ve seen different things using different filters, but it hasn’t changed a bit. M42 is always the same.

Funny, I thought all y’all were checking out the sun with a telescope as well.  I thought the pictures posted were taken by the posters! I’ve only been into watching the sun for a few months. Back in the day, you focused the light from the sun onto a white piece of paper, held by a rod, behind where the eyepiece goes. It was a projection. NASA had filters, but you needed about $50k to buy one! 

I just picked up a dedicated astronomy camera, hopefully, I’ll be able to post some pictures in a couple of weeks. So, much to learn! 

No more projection! Now H-alpha & Ca K-line & H-line are accessible to the amateur. H-alpha is where al the action happens. Depending upon the band pass of the filter (>1 angstrom) you can look at the chromosphere or prominences. CaK provides a very nice view of sunspots and phages. There are also white light filters which provide nice contrast when you are checking out the spots. 

There does seem to be something happening on the east limb, along the same track as 3028 & 3029, but all the action seems to be within 20-30 degrees of the equator. What we would call the inter-tropical convergence zone here on earth. I wonder why that’s where all the action has been happening.

I don’t want to stray to far off topic…

I do have to admit, I start everyday, checking for new stuff happening on the sun…

It looks like clear skies for the next ten days here, and 100F or close to it every day. I’ll be out there staring at the sun for at least a couple of hours every day! 

The picture is Alexander the Great, my service dog - he’s much better looking than I am…  and quite the ladies ham!

Cheers!

Kealey 

[3gMike]

2 hours ago, WildWill said:

There does seem to be something happening on the east limb, along the same track as 3028 & 3029, but all the action seems to be within 20-30 degrees of the equator. What we would call the inter-tropical convergence zone here on earth. I wonder why that’s where all the action has been happening.

At the start of a new cycle most spots will arise near 30deg latitude. As the cycle progresses they arise at lower latitudes until eventually most arise near the equator. 

If you look at the Butterfly diagram on this page https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/solar-activity/solar-cycle.html you will see what I mean. This is related to the action of the Solar Dynamo

https://figshare.com/articles/figure/Schematic_of_the_Solar_Dynamo/102094

[MinYoongi]

Looks good eh?