Steve tagged posts

When is an Aurora not an Aurora?

Phenomena called ‘Steve’ and ‘picket fence’ are masquerading as auroras, graduate student argues

nighttime photo of mountain with pinkish swirls and green stripes and stars shining through
The purple and white emissions at the top are referred to as “Steve,” while the green emissions are called “picket fence.” The rare phenomena, which are distinct from the typical aurora, often occur together and may be caused by similar conditions at the edge of space. The photo was taken looking south over Berg Lake toward Mt. Robson in the Canadian Rockies, British Columbia, Canada.
Courtesy of Robert Downie, robertdowniephotography.com

While auroras occur at high latitude, the associated phenomena Steve and the picket fence occur farther south and at lower altitude. Their emissions also differ from aurora...

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Aurora-Chasing Citizen Scientists help discover a New Feature of STEVE

Two different angles of distinctive green streaks below a STEVE event on Aug. 31, 2016, near Carstairs, Alberta, Canada. Recent research about the formation of these streaks is allowing scientists to learn more about this aurora-like phenomenon.
Credits: Copyright Neil Zeller, used with permission

A new finding about the formation of streaks within the aurora-like STEVE phenomenon brings scientists one step closer to solving the mystery. In 2018, a new aurora-like discovery struck the world. From 2015 to 2016, citizen scientists reported 30 instances of a purple ribbon in the sky, with a green picket fence structure underneath. Now named STEVE, or Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, this phenomenon is still new to scientists, who are working to understand all its details...

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Scientists discover what powers celestial phenomenon STEVE

Amateur astronomer’s photograph used in the new research. The photograph was taken on May 8, 2016, in Keller, Wash. The major structures are two bands of upper atmospheric emissions 160 kilometers (100 miles) above the ground, a mauve arc and green picket fence. The black objects at the bottom are trees. The background star constellations include Gemini and Ursa Major.
Credit: Rocky Raybell

The recently-discovered atmospheric glow is both like typical auroras and distinct from them. The celestial phenomenon known as STEVE is likely caused by a combination of heating of charged particles in the atmosphere and energetic electrons like those that power the aurora, according to new research...

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New Kind of Aurora is Not an Aurora at All

The atmospheric phenomenon 'STEVE' which appears as a purple and green light ribbon in the sky. Credit: © Ryan / Fotolia

The atmospheric phenomenon ‘STEVE’ which appears as a purple and green light ribbon in the sky. Credit: © Ryan / Fotolia

Thin ribbons of purple and white light that sometimes appear in the night sky were dubbed a new type of aurora when brought to scientists’ attention in 2016. But new research suggests these mysterious streams of light are not an aurora at all but an entirely new celestial phenomenon. Amateur photographers had captured the new phenomenon, called STEVE, on film for decades. But the scientific community only got wind of STEVE in 2016. When scientists first looked at images of STEVE, they realized the lights were slightly different than light from typical auroras but were not sure what underlying mechanism was causing them.

In a new study, researchers analyzed a STEVE event...

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