In a new study, scientists found STEVE’s source region in space and identified two mechanisms that cause it. The recently-discovered atmospheric glow known as STEVE took the sky-gazing world by storm when it first appeared. An Upper Atmospheric Discovery Named STEVE Captured unknowingly by scientific instruments for years, a sky phenomenon is finally brought to … [23], Atmospheric optical phenomenon, which appears as a light ribbon in the sky, "STEVE" redirects here. Receive news and offers from our other brands? Known by the acronym STEVE, it's 280 miles above Earth. Auroras tend to be a mixture of hues caused by energetic particles raining down through the upper atmosphere. The mysterious ribbon of atmospheric light known as STEVE slashes through the sky over British Columbia, Canada, on April 10, 2018. According to Gallardo-Lacourt, that's "completely unknown." Last year, they noticed a phenomenon showing up in some pictures: a purplish ribbon in the sky. "Based on our results, we assert that STEVE is likely related to an ionospheric process," the researchers wrote in their study, referring to the level of Earth's atmosphere that extends between 50 and 600 miles (80 to 1,000 km) above Earth's surface and sits directly below the planet's magnetic field. Aurora photographers find new night sky lights and call them Steve - BBC News Quote: A group of aurora enthusiasts have found a new type of light in the night sky and named it Steve. In the new University of Calgary study, Gallardo-Lacourt and her colleagues decided to use the data recorded that night to further investigate Steve's mysterious origins. On March 28, 2018, Steve again appeared in the skies of northern Canada and happened to fall within the sight of both ground- and sky-based recording equipment. A light pillar is an atmospheric optical phenomenon, which is caused by the reflection of light from ice crystals in cold weather. [17], A study published in March 2018 by Elizabeth A MacDonald and other co-authors in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances suggested that STEVE accompanies a subauroral ion drift (SAID),[18] a fast-moving stream of extremely hot particles. "So right now, we know very little about it. The aurora enthusiasts have named it Steve.It has garnered the attention of researchers at the European Space … Turbulent eddies and whirls dump some of their energy into the green cannonballs.” This idea may explain their pure color. Meet "Steve," a previously little-known atmospheric phenomenon related to the aurora borealis. Please refresh the page and try again. 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For now, the mysterious atmospheric phenomenon will continue to be known as Steve, until Eric Donovan and his colleagues come up with a better name, along with an explanation, which they are working on. The mysterious, aurora-like phenomenon called STEVE just got a little weirder. When a European Space Agency satellite passed directly through Steve in July 2016, instruments on board confirmed that a pipeline of incredibly fast, ridiculously hot gas was slicing through the atmosphere there. [1], One of the aurora watchers, photographer Chris Ratzlaff,[8][9] suggested the name "STEVE" from Over the Hedge, an animated comedy movie from 2006, in which its characters chose that as a benign name for something unknown. [16] STEVE appears as a very narrow arc extending for hundreds or thousands of miles, aligned east–west. Compared to the northern lights — which tend to shimmer in broad bands of green, blue or reddish light depending on their altitude — Steve is remarkably slim, usually appearing as a single ribbon of purplish-white light. According to the authors, that means Steve is likely not a feature of the aurora but is actually something completely different. As of March 2018, STEVE has only been spotted in the presence of an aurora. STEVE, however, is a river of hot, turbulent gas that shows up independently of that solar weather. [6] When physics professor Eric Donovan from the University of Calgary saw their photographs, he suspected that was not the case because proton auroras are not visible. The name for this new atmospheric phenomenon is known by the acronym “STEVE,” which stands for: Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. Odd Looking, But Perfectly Safe. The ‘rain’ strikes atoms, ions, and … You will receive a verification email shortly. The atmospheric phenomenon known as STEVE, appearing as a band of light in the sky. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to … According to a new study, STEVE is not an aurora (visible here in the right corner of the horizon) but something completely new to science. Ratzlaff was referring to an atmospheric optical phenomenon that appears as reddish and green light in the sky. [21] The study also showed these phenomena appear in both hemispheres simultaneously. A New Atmospheric Phenomenon Called Steve Kaushik Patowary Jun 12, 2017 0 comments For the past three years, members of a Facebook group called the Alberta Aurora Chasers , consisting of photographers who exchange tips and images of the famed northern lights, have been capturing images of a gorgeous arc of light across the sky. [1][2][3] In August 2018, researchers determined that the phenomenon's skyglow was not associated with particle precipitation (electrons or ions) and, as a result, could be generated in the ionosphere. The phenomenon is not rare, but had not previously been investigated. This amateur astronomer's photograph, taken on May 8, 2016, in Keller, Washington, was used in the new research about the celestial phenomenon called STEVE. But, for the sake of keeping the conversation going, she and her colleagues dubbed the mysterious force a "sky glow.". (Photo courtesy Vanexus Photography) This band of hot, surging gas was about 16 miles (25 km) wide. Short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, this strange aurora has puzzled scientists for years. An atmospheric phenomenon has been discovered by citizen scientists and aurora photographers — and so little is known about it right now that they've named it Steve. According to analysis of satellite data from the European Space Agency's Swarm mission, STEVE is caused by a 25 km (16 mi) wide ribbon of hot plasmaat an altitude of 450 km (280 mi), with a temperature of 3,000 °C (3,270 K; 5,430 °F) and flowing at a speed of 6 km/s (3.7 mi/s) (compared to 1… A diminutive of the male given name Steven and Stephen; also used as a formal male given name. 24 APRIL 2017. The beautiful atmospheric phenomenon “Steve” was first documented by a Facebook Group last year. More observations taken at different levels of the atmosphere will be required to fully tease out the causes of that mystery of mysteries — good old Steve. A later 2019 study determined that the STEVE’s mauve streak and green picket fence are actually a result of two distinct phenomena from two separate processes. The mysterious ribbon of atmospheric light known as STEVE slashes through the sky over British Columbia, Canada, on April 10, 2018. What this ribbon lacks in girth, it makes up for in length; unlike the wavy northern lights, Steve appears to stab straight upward into the night sky, often spanning more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers). The phenomenon was discovered in 2016 by citizen scientists in western Canada. Dr. Dr. “During strong geomagnetic storms, the plasma river that gives rise to STEVE flows at extreme supersonic velocities. Reblogged this on Tallbloke's Talkshop and commented: Quote: ‘STEVE is a recently identified atmospheric phenomenon caused by supersonic plasma jets flowing at altitudes >100 km.’ Scientists continue to wrestle with its electromagnetic mysteries. The celestial phenomenon known as STEVE is likely caused by a combination of heating of charged particles in the atmosphere and energetic … STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that appears as a purple and green light ribbon in the sky, named in late 2016 by aurora watchers from Alberta, Canada. [14], STEVE may be spotted closer to the equator than the aurora,[15] and as of March 2018 has been observed in the United Kingdom, Canada, Alaska, northern U.S. states, and New Zealand. According to a … Alberta Aurora Chasers capture STEVE, the new-to-science upper atmospheric phenomenon, on the evening of April 10, 2018 in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. "STEVE is caused by a 25 km (16 mi) wide ribbon of hot plasma at an altitude of 450 km (280 mi), with a temperature of 3,000 °C (3,270 K; 5,430 °F) and flowing at a speed of 6 km/s (3.7 mi/s) (compared to 10 m/s (33 ft/s) outside the ribbon)." For a while, STEVE's origins were elusive. ‘Steve’ is a band of ghostly lights clearly visible from East to West, all the way from the banks of Hudson Bay to the fjords of British Columbia. Eric Donovan from the University of Calgary in Canada spotted the … Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day. [Aurora Images: See Breathtaking Views of the Northern Lights], According to researchers at the University of Calgary in Canada and the University of California, Los Angeles, Steve does not contain the telltale traces of charged particles blasting through Earth's atmosphere that auroras do. Meet Steve, a newly discovered atmospheric phenomenon that’s so strange it still doesn’t have a formal scientific description, hence the placeholder name. The name “Steve” is a nod to the 2006 animated film “Over the Hedge,” in which its characters chose “Steve” as a benign name for something unknown. Sprites, UFOs, Steves and other atmospheric phenomenon that mystify. However, a new study published today (Aug. 20) in the journal Geophysical Research Letters suggests that such a simple explanation might not apply. [11][12], Robert Lysak, during the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in December 2016, suggested "Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement" as a backronym of STEVE,[13] one that has since been adopted by the team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center studying the phenomenon. The celestial phenomenon known as STEVE is likely caused by a combination of heating of charged particles in the atmosphere and energetic electrons like … Credit: Ryan Sault. Photo: Elfiehall via Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 4.0 In July of last year, there was a thin trail of purple light that was witnessed streaking across the sky in northern Canada. At about 200 miles (300 km) above Earth, the air inside Steve blazed about 5,500 degrees Fahrenheit (3,000 degrees Celsius) hotter than the air on each side, and moved about 500 times faster. While looking like a family … Stevie (given name) List of people with given name Stephen; This page or section lists people that share the same given name. In late 2016, the backronym "Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement" was adopted. Steve is so strange that it still doesn’t have a formal description. If there is one thing social media teaches us today, it's not to leave naming rights up to the hive mind. As Phil Darlington explains, a … There is, however, another atmospheric light show that you may be less familiar with: STEVE. This Steve event was photographed May 8, 2016, at Porteau Cove Provincial Park in British Columbia. STEVE — or Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement— is an atmospheric phenomenon that appears as a purple and green light ribbon in the sky. Extreme ultraviolet radiation and X-rays from the sun bombard these upper regions of t… Meet Steve, a newly discovered atmospheric phenomenon that’s so strange it still doesn’t have a formal scientific description, hence the placeholder name. Amateur Skywatchers Spot New Atmospheric Phenomenon Its name is Steve, and it’s more common than you might think. Now, new research on the phenomenon suggests that the picket-fence aspect of STEVE is caused by a similar mechanism as the process that results in an aurora. For other uses, see, "Introducing Steve - a Newly Discovered Astronomical Phenomenon", "New kind of aurora is not an aurora at all", "Aurora photographers find new night sky lights and call them Steve", "Amateur Sky-Watchers Discover Celestial Phenomenon, Name It 'Steve, "New atmospheric phenomenon named STEVE discovered by aurora watchers", "Meet Steve, a sky phenomenon coming into its own", "Meet 'Steve,' a Totally New Kind of Aurora", "Help NASA Study 'Steve,' a Newfound Aurora Type", "NASA Needs Your Help to Find Steve and Here's How", "New science in plain sight: Citizen scientists lead to the discovery of optical structure in the upper atmosphere", "Steve the odd 'aurora' revealed to be two sky shows in one", "Magnetospheric signatures of STEVE: Implication for the magnetospheric energy source and inter‐hemispheric conjugacy", "Scientists discover what powers celestial phenomenon STEVE", "Aurora Australis with bonus 'picket fence' wows southern lights chasers in Tasmania", "Aurora-chasing citizen scientists help discover a new feature of STEVE", Eric Donovan's presentation at 2017 ESA Earth Explorer Missions Science Meeting, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_(atmospheric_phenomenon)&oldid=989863502, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 21 November 2020, at 13:26. The name “Steve” is a nod to the 2006 animated film “Over the Hedge,” in which its characters chose “Steve” as a benign name for something unknown. A New Atmospheric Phenomenon Called Steve Kaushik Patowary Jun 12, 2017 0 comments For the past three years, members of a Facebook group called the Alberta Aurora Chasers , consisting of photographers who exchange tips and images of the famed northern lights, have been capturing images of a gorgeous arc of light across the sky. STEVE generally lasts for 20 minutes to an hour. Sprites, UFOs, Steves and other atmospheric phenomenon that mystify. Meet Steve—a strange … The STEVE phenomenon was discovered in 2016 by citizen scientists in western Canada and the aurora-like phenomenon has long been a mystery for scientists. Steve, therefore, is not an aurora at all, but something entirely different: a mysterious, largely unexplained phenomenon that the researchers have dubbed a "sky glow. “I don't think this story would have had the legs it has if we'd given it a more scientific name,” confesses Chris Ratzlaff. Proper noun . © While looking like a family member of … The recently-discovered atmospheric glow known as STEVE took the sky-gazing world by storm when it first appeared. Several distinct layers make up Earth's atmosphere, including the mesosphere, which starts 31 miles (50 km) up, and the thermosphere, which starts at 53 miles (85 km) up. It has garnered the attention of researchers at the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA, and other institutions. Amateur astronomers have discovered a new type of atmospheric phenomenon and it has been named ‘Steve”. Steve. New research into a strange atmospheric effect known as STEVE has failed to associate its enigmatic lights with aurora, pointing to the presence of an entirely new type of atmospheric phenomenon. STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that appears as a purple and green light ribbon in the sky, named in late 2016 by aurora watchers from Alberta, Canada. What could that something be? 1 / 33. Sightings of picket-fence aurora have been made without observations of STEVE. For their new study, the team combined images taken by a network of ground-based cameras with data collected from one of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites, which were equipped with instruments capable of detecting charged particles descending through Earth's atmosphere. ", Given its coincidence with the northern lights, Steve was just thought to be part of the aurora — the shimmering sheets of nighttime color that appear in the sky when charged plasma particles streak out of the sun, sail across space on solar winds and jolt down Earth's magnetic field toward the planet's poles. She also included GPS coordinates from Vimy, Alberta, that helped Donovan link the data to identify the phenomenon. Ratzlaff was referring to an atmospheric optical phenomenon that appears as reddish and green light in the sky. In all fairness, weather balloons are high-altitude, spherically … Steve is an atmospheric optical phenomenon which appears as a purple and green light ribbon in the sky, formally discovered in late 2016 by aurora watchers from Alberta, Canada. [17] In August 2018, researchers determined that the phenomenon's skyglow was not associated with particle precipitation (electrons or ions) and, as a result, could be generated in the ionosphere. According to analysis of satellite data from the European Space Agency's Swarm mission, STEVE is caused by a 25 km (16 mi) wide ribbon of hot plasma at an altitude of 450 km (280 mi), with a temperature of 3,000 Â°C (3,270 K; 5,430 Â°F) and flowing at a speed of 6 km/s (3.7 mi/s) (compared to 10 m/s (33 ft/s) outside the ribbon). Alberta Aurora Chasers capture STEVE, the new-to-science upper atmospheric phenomenon, on the evening of April 10, 2018 in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. [4], STEVE often, although not always, is observed above a green, "picket-fence" aurora. But the mysterious ribbons of light only entered the scientific literature for the first time earlier this year, thanks largely to Steve-tracking efforts coordinated by Facebook groups like the Alberta Aurora Chasers. MIKE MCRAE. Visit our corporate site. According … (2016) The atmospheric phenomenon was named for a scene in the film Over the Hedge, in which something unknown (a hedge) is given the name Steve. (Image: © Ryan Sault / Alberta Aurora Chasers). is in need of attention I checked Wikipedia's Steve (atmospheric phenomenon); Occurrence and cause which says: Occurrence and cause. The Alberta Aurora Chasers Facebook group shares pictures its members take of the Northern Lights. Finally, they are answering some of their questions, and it turns out STEVE … NY 10036. To photographers and stargazers in northern climes, Steve has been a familiar night phenomenon for decades. Now, scientists understand that the elements of a STEVE originate from two distinct atmospheric phenomenon, writes Toshi Nishimura, a space physicist at … Fellow Aurora Chaser Robert Downie kneels in the foreground while photographer Ryan Sault captures the narrow ribbon of white-purple hues overhead. [4], STEVE has been observed by auroral photographers for decades,[3] with some evidence to suggest that observations may have been recorded as early as 1705. [7] He correlated the time and location of the phenomenon with Swarm satellite data and one of the Alberta Aurora Chasers' photographers, Song Despins, whose photos are not shown on this page. Thank you for signing up to Live Science. Now, scientists understand that the elements of a STEVE originate from two distinct atmospheric phenomenon, writes Toshi Nishimura, a space physicist at … An atmospheric phenomenon has been discovered by citizen scientists and aurora photographers – and so little is known about it right now that they’ve named it Steve. They found that the mauve arch occurs when charged particles are heated high up in the earth’s atmosphere. The name for this new atmospheric phenomenon is known by the acronym “STEVE,” which stands for: Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. STEVE marks the first observed visual effect accompanying a SAID. The celestial phenomenon known as STEVE is likely caused by a combination of heating of charged particles in the atmosphere and energetic … Writing in the journal Science Advances in March, researchers (including Gallardo-Lacourt) decided to keep the name "Steve" as the official nomenclature for the colorful happening, but they changed it to an acronym standing for "Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement" — aka STEVE. And that's the cool thing.". STEVE was not observed from October 2016 to February 2017, or from October 2017 to February 2018, leading NASA to believe that STEVE may only appear in certain seasons. Apr. It was a magnificent, mysterious, borderline-miraculous sight, and the group of citizen skywatchers who witnessed it decided to give the phenomenon a fittingly majestic name: "Steve. Find Northern Lights Atmospheric Phenomenon Steve Which stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. [19][20] Although the picket-fence aurora is created through precipitation of electrons, they appear outside the auroral oval and so their formation is different from traditional aurora. The green bars in the picket fence are moving more slowly than the structures in the purple emissions, and some scientists have speculated they could be caused by turbulence in the charged particles from space. There was a problem. New York, Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? 1 / 33. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, WASHINGTON—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. This study found that, for all its quirks, Steve seemed to look and act like its more familiar cousin, the aurora borealis. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Steve is definitely created in the ionosphere, Nishimura’s team reports, but the purple slither doesn’t appear to be an aurora, which is defined as light emissions caused by energetic electrons. STEVE's mauve streaks occur due to heated charged particles in the atmosphere, whereas the typical auroras were glowing. Photo: Elfiehall via Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 4.0 In July of last year, there was a thin trail of purple light that was witnessed streaking across the sky in northern Canada. A bunch of citizen scientists and aurora photographers in Canada have discovered an atmospheric phenomenon that scientists know little about. The ionosphere consists of three sections within the mesosphere and thermosphere, labeled the D, E and F layers, according to the UCAR Center for Science Education. Contrary to the findings from the Steve study published earlier this year, the satellite did not detect any charged particles raining down toward Earth's magnetic-field lines, indicating that whatever created Steve did not follow the same rules as the solar particles that create the aurora. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day. Alberta Aurora Chasers capture STEVE, the new-to-science upper atmospheric phenomenon, on the evening of April 10, 2018 in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.

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