A sudden solar storm leads to the appearance of the Steve phenomenon

Arrived on the night of August 7-8 solar storm A surprise on the ground. Unlike most solar storms, this storm was not predicted by the US agency NOAAwhich is responsible for forecasts and reports on space weather.

There were no reports of widespread radio or GPS interference. But the charged particles of the solar left breathtaking Northern lights Develop. And not only that: in southern Canada there was also a landscape called Steve It is rarely observed.

Steve was first spotted in 2017

STEVE is a phenomenon that was already in science until a few years ago completely unknown I was. For the first time, Steve was in the year 2017 It was discovered by Northern Lights hunters in northern Canada. STEVE usually consists of one purple ribbon, which can remain in the sky for more than an hour. Often the tape is from a file green glow Surrounded, however, dissolves again after a few minutes.

This is how Steve became an astronomy fan and photographer last Sunday Alan Dyer registered. The phenomenon continued 40 minutes.

Scientists now know more about the celestial phenomenon. STEVE (short for “Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement”) consists of a . kilometer-long range 3000 degrees hot plasma approx 130 to 270 kilometers of altitude. Plasma is made up of a molecular mixture of charged atoms and electrons as well as neutral molecules.

Sun particles are not directly responsible for Steve

Steve kicks clearly the South From the regular northern lights. This indicates that solar particles, how it will hit the Earth during a solar storm, cannot be directly responsible for this phenomenon. These are deflected by the Earth’s magnetic field near the magnetic poles.

However, STEVE does not always appear except during solar storms. One hypothesis is that Steve suddenly the outbreak of thermal and kinetic energy. This one is somehow during the engagement charged particles, which is higher in the atmosphere, the researchers theory. The solar storm ensures that the particles are charged there. Thus, solar storms may not be directly but indirectly responsible for Steve’s appearance.

More research is needed to get to the bottom of STEVE.