<p>The shiny green, red and purple hues of light in the night sky, called northern and southern lights, find their place on the bucket lists of many travel enthusiasts worldwide. But the mauve and white streaks of such light in the sky, called Steve and a glowing green "picket fence" often appear disguised as auroras.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Let the myth be broken that they are not auroras. In fact, they are more distinct forms of illuminance in the night sky.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to Claire Gasque, a University of California, Berkeley, a graduate student in physics, the appearance of Steve and the 'picket fence' is totally different from the processes responsible for the well-known auroras.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/is-northern-lights-style-aurora-in-uranus-hiding-key-to-alien-life-scientists-hint-so-655100">Is northern lights-style aurora in Uranus hiding key to alien life? Scientists hint so</a></strong></p>

<p>Gasque has reportedly teamed up with researchers at the campus's Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) to propose that NASA launch a rocket into the heart of the aurora to find out if she's correct.</p>

<p>Whether NASA would launch such a rocket, is yet to be seen.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Why Steve and Picket Fence appear?</strong></h2>

<p><br />
Steve is&nbsp;an acronym for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.</p>

<p>The appearance of vibrant auroras along with Steve and Picket Fence is now becoming increasingly common. This is because the sun has entered an active period of its 11-year cycle of solar storms and coronal mass ejections.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Spectacular display of northern lights at the Arctic</strong></p>

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<p>Gasque described the physics behind the picket fence in a paper published last month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Gasque is scheduled to discuss the results on Dec. 14 in a talk at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.</p>

<p>She calculated that in a region of the upper atmosphere farther south than that in which auroras form, electric fields parallel to Earth's magnetic field could produce the colour spectrum of the picket fence.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"This would upend our modelling of what creates light and the energy in the aurora in some cases," Gasque said in an official comment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The really interesting thing about Claire's paper is that we've known for a couple of years now that the Steve spectrum is telling us there's some very exotic physics going on. We just didn't know what it was," Brian Harding, a co-author of the paper and an SSL assistant research physicist said. "Gasque's paper showed that parallel electric fields are capable of explaining this exotic spectrum."<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The shiny green, red and purple hues of light in the night sky, called northern and southern lights, find their place on the bucket lists of many travel enthusiasts worldwide.

The shiny green, red and purple hues of light in the night sky, called northern and southern lights, find their place on the bucket lists of many travel enthusiasts worldwide. But the mauve and white streaks of such light in the sky, called Steve and a glowing green "picket fence" often appear disguised as auroras. Let the myth be broken that they are not auroras. In fact, they are more distinct forms of illuminance in the night sky. According to Claire Gasque, a University of California, Berkeley, a graduate student in physics, the appearance of Steve and the 'picket fence' is totally different from the processes responsible for the well-known auroras. Also read | Is northern lights-style aurora in Uranus hiding key to alien life? Scientists hint so Gasque has reportedly teamed up with researchers at the campus's Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) to propose that NASA launch a rocket into the heart of the aurora to find out if she's correct. Whether NASA would launch such a rocket, is yet to be seen. Why Steve and Picket Fence appear? Steve is an acronym for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. The appearance of vibrant auroras along with Steve and Picket Fence is now becoming increasingly common. This is because the sun has entered an active period of its 11-year cycle of solar storms and coronal mass ejections. Also watch | Spectacular display of northern lights at the Arctic × Gasque described the physics behind the picket fence in a paper published last month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Gasque is scheduled to discuss the results on Dec. 14 in a talk at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. She calculated that in a region of the upper atmosphere farther south than that in which auroras form, electric fields parallel to Earth's magnetic field could produce the colour spectrum of the picket fence. "This would upend our modelling of what creates light and the energy in the aurora in some cases," Gasque said in an official comment. "The really interesting thing about Claire's paper is that we've known for a couple of years now that the Steve spectrum is telling us there's some very exotic physics going on. We just didn't know what it was," Brian Harding, a co-author of the paper and an SSL assistant research physicist said. "Gasque's paper showed that parallel electric fields are capable of explaining this exotic spectrum."

Not all pretty lights in the sky are auroras. Some are Steve and Picket Fence

<p>We humans often think we know what nature is and put it into scientific calculations and poetic stanzas. But nature always surprises us with its intractability and that’s the beauty of it. Such is the case with green and purple lights spotted in the northern&nbsp;skies which everyone assumed to be&nbsp;auroras, the bright colours that adorn the skies when solar storms hit the Earth's atmosphere. But what if we tell you that these green and purple lights were a completely different phenomenon?&nbsp;</p>

<p>The purple and green ribbons of light in the sky hovering over the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere are not auroras, but STEVE or Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/rare-cluster-of-syphilis-that-infects-eyes-puzzles-us-scientists-663851">One man infects 5 women with rare eye syphilis following sexual intercourse</a></p>

<p>This rare atmospheric phenomenon has caused a lot of buzz this year, as more and more people spotted Steve in areas it does not usually appear, such as parts of the United Kingdom.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>What is the STEVE phenomenon?</strong></h2>

<p>STEVE is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that appears as a purple and green light ribbon in the sky. It was named in recent years in 2016 by aurora watchers and enthusiasts from Alberta, Canada.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Though it caught the attention of auroral photographers recently, some evidence suggests that STEVE observations may have been recorded as early as 1705. But at that time, no one knew what exactly it was.</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/explained-worlds-1st-transatlantic-flight-using-100-green-fuels-takes-off-from-london-all-you-need-to-know-663945">Explained | World’s 1st transatlantic flight using 100% green fuels takes off. All you need to know</a></p>

<p>The first accurate determination of the nature of the phenomenon was not made until after members of a Facebook group, Alberta Aurora Chasers, named it, attributed it to a proton aurora, and began calling it a "proton arc".</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Seen STEVE? Glowing in purple &amp; green colors, a new celestial phenomenon, known as STEVE, is caused by charged particles from the Sun colliding with Earth's magnetic field. Discover how you can help us study these dancing lights by sending your pictures: <a href="https://t.co/x10MUkf4tn">https://t.co/x10MUkf4tn</a> <a href="https://t.co/mcGT9CdUtJ">pic.twitter.com/mcGT9CdUtJ</a></p>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/975449011376283649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>As of March 2018, the STEVE phenomenon has been observed in the United Kingdom, Canada, Alaska, the northern US States, Australia and New Zealand. It appears as a very narrow arc extending for hundreds or thousands of miles, aligned east-west. It generally lasts for 20 minutes to an hour. In March 2018, STEVE phenomena was spotted in the presence of an aurora.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-shares-image-of-hidden-galaxy-which-is-11-million-light-years-away-from-earth-664045">NASA shares image of 'Hidden galaxy' which is 11 million light-years away from Earth</a></p>

<p>A meeting of aurora enthusiasts in a small Canadian pub was the turning point in their quest to understand STEVE. It was here, where the phenomenon was named Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement or STEVE.</p>

<p>While STEVE is only spotted in the presence of an aurora, it is not a normal aurora as scientists suggest it comprises a fast-moving stream of extremely hot particles called a sub-auroral ion drift or SAID.</p>

<h2><strong>Where and how to see STEVE?</strong></h2>

<p>Earth is entering a period of enhanced solar activity, or solar maximum, which occurs every 11 years. During this time, spectators can expect more visible light shows in the sky and a chance to witness a STEVE at low latitudes.</p>

<p>STEVE is best seen through the lens of a camera. However, to the naked eye, it can appear as nothing more than what looks like a faint contrail from an aeroplane streaking across the sky and hence can be easily overlooked. They are typically seen between evening and midnight.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


We humans often think we know what nature is and put it into scientific calculations and poetic stanzas. But nature always surprises us with its intractability and that’s the beauty of it.

We humans often think we know what nature is and put it into scientific calculations and poetic stanzas. But nature always surprises us with its intractability and that’s the beauty of it. Such is the case with green and purple lights spotted in the northern skies which everyone assumed to be auroras, the bright colours that adorn the skies when solar storms hit the Earth's atmosphere. But what if we tell you that these green and purple lights were a completely different phenomenon? The purple and green ribbons of light in the sky hovering over the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere are not auroras, but STEVE or Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. Also Read | One man infects 5 women with rare eye syphilis following sexual intercourse This rare atmospheric phenomenon has caused a lot of buzz this year, as more and more people spotted Steve in areas it does not usually appear, such as parts of the United Kingdom. What is the STEVE phenomenon? STEVE is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that appears as a purple and green light ribbon in the sky. It was named in recent years in 2016 by aurora watchers and enthusiasts from Alberta, Canada. Though it caught the attention of auroral photographers recently, some evidence suggests that STEVE observations may have been recorded as early as 1705. But at that time, no one knew what exactly it was. Also Read | Explained | World’s 1st transatlantic flight using 100% green fuels takes off. All you need to know The first accurate determination of the nature of the phenomenon was not made until after members of a Facebook group, Alberta Aurora Chasers, named it, attributed it to a proton aurora, and began calling it a "proton arc". Seen STEVE? Glowing in purple & green colors, a new celestial phenomenon, known as STEVE, is caused by charged particles from the Sun colliding with Earth's magnetic field. Discover how you can help us study these dancing lights by sending your pictures: https://t.co/x10MUkf4tn pic.twitter.com/mcGT9CdUtJ — NASA (@NASA) March 18, 2018 × As of March 2018, the STEVE phenomenon has been observed in the United Kingdom, Canada, Alaska, the northern US States, Australia and New Zealand. It appears as a very narrow arc extending for hundreds or thousands of miles, aligned east-west. It generally lasts for 20 minutes to an hour. In March 2018, STEVE phenomena was spotted in the presence of an aurora. Also Read | NASA shares image of 'Hidden galaxy' which is 11 million light-years away from Earth A meeting of aurora enthusiasts in a small Canadian pub was the turning point in their quest to understand STEVE. It was here, where the phenomenon was named Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement or STEVE. While STEVE is only spotted in the presence of an aurora, it is not a normal aurora as scientists suggest it comprises a fast-moving stream of extremely hot particles called a sub-auroral ion drift or SAID. Where and how to see STEVE? Earth is entering a period of enhanced solar activity, or solar maximum, which occurs every 11 years. During this time, spectators can expect more visible light shows in the sky and a chance to witness a STEVE at low latitudes. STEVE is best seen through the lens of a camera. However, to the naked eye, it can appear as nothing more than what looks like a faint contrail from an aeroplane streaking across the sky and hence can be easily overlooked. They are typically seen between evening and midnight. (With inputs from agencies)

What's STEVE? After auroras, purple & green lights in skies dazzle earthlings

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