NASA reveals 'new discovery' about aurora-like phenomenon STEVE, watch time lapse video

On vember 17, NASA shared an update about fascinating aurora-like phemen that depicted purple ribbon of lights in sky kwn as STEVE, or Strong rmal Emission Velocity Enhancement. Taking to its official handle on Twitter, NASA thanked citizen scientists from around globe, as it informed that a new discovery was made related to  mysterious phemen STEVE. It furr explained that phemen involved a vibrant ribbon of light that formed an arc in night sky. Explaining furr in a release, NASA said that scientists have found that STEVE is t a rmal aurora, or maybe it’s t an aurora at all. “A new finding of formation of streaks within structure brings scientists one step closer to solving mystery,” NASA revealed. 

In a paper for AGU Advances, citizen scientists shared new findings of mysterious purple light formation, with a green picket fence structure underneath, saying, that streaks could be “moving points of light, elongated in ims due to blur from cameras”. According to new findings, “tiny little streaks” that were previously thought of as auroras are an optical phemen created due to extreme ion drift speeds.

[NASA Goddard Photo and Video Citizen scientist im of STEVE]

[This pair of ims was used for triangulation of low‐altitude streak with endpoints labeled R1 and R2. altitudes were determined by citizen scientists. Credit: Journal AGU Advances]

[Sequence of 4‐s im samples around time showing general propagation of streaks toward main STEVE arc, and ir general elongation in direction of propagation.Credit: Journal AGU Advances]

As per study, citizen scientists examined fine‐scale features of two distinct components of STEVE, one, mauve or whitish arc extended in magnetic east-west direction, second, region of green emission adjacent to arc that forms “picket fence”. It was found that STEVE is, in fact, an ‘atmospheric phemen’ caused by supersonic plasma jets flowing at altitudes of more than 100 km. 

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[STEVE observed with 15‐s exposure on 00:33:22 MDT on 20 March 2017 from location 51.66°N, 112.91°W. Credit: Journal AGU Advances]

'Moving' green columns of light

NASA shared time-lapse ims recorded by citizen scientists to examine fine‐scale structures in STEVE's green emission region. It was found that STEVE’S streaks had a width of just a few hundred meters and have identical coloration. While Auroras, by contrast, are usually shimmering green ribbons, STEVE has green columns of light “moving” through ribbon-like arc. STEVE's mauve streaks occur due to heated charged particles in atmosphere, whereas typical auroras were glowing. STEVE phemen was discovered in 2016 by citizen scientists in western Canada and aurora-like phemen has long been a mystery for scientists. ims shared by NASA were captured over Childs Lake in Canada by photographer Krista Trinder in year 2017.

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