Active region AR484 tracking with Solar Feature Catalogue Original Research Article

This paper presents a morphological analysis of the active region NOAA AR 484 as well as its intensity and magnetic field variations associated with flare occurrences. The active region is tracked during a one solar rotation with the automated technique used in Solar Feature Catalogue (SFC). The location and intensity parameters of region AR484 were extracted from 1 minute cadence Hα solar images from the Big Bear observatory (BBSO), SOHO/EIT images in Fe XII, 195 Å and the SOHO/MDI magnetograms. During the whole period of tracking from October, 19 until November, 11, 2003 the AR484 produced many flares of different significance including a few X-class flares. We investigate the total AR intensity variations in each band leading to a flare production and compare these with the magnetic field changes before and during a flare for five flares of different significance. Based on this comparison the key parameters defining the region activity in a flare production are found that include the resulting, or excess, flux and the ratio between areas covered by negative and positive pixels. These parameters can be used for a preliminary pre-flare classification of active regions in addition to other classifiers associated with a magnetic field.