The Steve Light phenomenon may not be what was previously thought

However, Steve is manufactured At low latitudes Of the northern lights.

If this turns out to be true, it will have profound implications for… Human understanding of the Earth’s atmosphereThe magnetosphere and the interaction between them.

Auroras are created when charged particles from the solar wind, emitted by giant explosions, interact with the Earth’s atmosphere. The Sun is currently approaching its maximum activity in its 11-year cycle, which means we can observe it more and more Coronal mass ejection. They are directed towards the Earth and are strong enough that they can cause magnetic storms, resulting in aurora borealis. A sufficiently strong storm can cause light phenomena even at latitudes where they do not normally occur, for example in Poland.

The colors of the aurora range from green, yellow, pink, red to purple, depending on the ionized gas in the atmosphere. Steve, on the other hand, takes the form of a glow, always pinkish-purple, with an accompanying green fence-like element. Steve – Strong enhancement of heat emission speed – It was officially identified as a separate phenomenon from the aurora borealis in 2018, and scientists have been trying to detect it for years.

Gaskey and her team suggest that the fence particles are locally affected by the electric field, rather than moving from higher to lower altitudes as previously thought, suggesting a mechanism entirely different from that behind the aurora. However, in order to be able to confirm whether STEVE was indeed created in this way, scientists need to do so Launching a special probe At Steve’s or his fence to test it directly.