Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
On Monday night, sky-watchers in the UK witnessed a rare phenomenon known as Steve, a relatively new scientific discovery. While Steve appears during Northern Lights, it is fundamentally different from auroras and lasts for only a short time – about 20 minutes to an hour. Steve is unpredictable, and little is known about its formation. It often appears as a ribbon, and not in the oval shape of an aurora.
Sightings of the Northern Lights were also reported in various parts of the UK, such as the Western Isles, Norfolk, and Buckinghamshire. Throughout the night, the activity on the Sun continued to remain high, sending charged particles towards the Earth. However, most people couldn’t see auroras because of the cloudy weather. Scientists suggest that Steve comprises of a stream of extremely hot particles called a sub-auroral ion drift, or SAID, which moves quickly.
Recording Steve from the ground is very rare because it is unpredictable and only lasts for a brief time. Steve was first named after a scene from the animated movie Over the Hedge, where a squirrel recommends calling the awe-inspiring phenomenon Steve. Later, the scientists named the phenomenon Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. The last time it was sighted in the UK was back in 2023, and it was only discovered in 2016, thanks to a citizen science project funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation.
The Canadian government minted a collector’s coin worth $20 featuring the mysterious streaks of light in 2019. Even though sky-watchers were treated to these rare phenomena, more sightings of the Northern Lights and Steve are possible in the next few nights, weather permitting, as solar activity remains relatively high. Solar winds have sent charged particles towards Earth, and aurora is expected for the next few nights
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.