On August 7-8, an unexpected solar storm on Earth displayed a mysterious and rare celestial phenomenon called STEVE, or Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. What is it and how can it affect us? find out
We’ve always associated solar storms with aurora displays, damage to artificial satellites, radio blackouts, and GPS outages, but it turns out that solar storms can trigger more mysterious phenomena than that. The surprising solar storm on August 7 and 8 caused a strange space phenomenon that left even scientists baffled. Many reported seeing a bright stream of light across the sky that was unlike any aurora seen. The question that arises now is what was that awesome light and can it affect us in any way?
The event was first reported by SpaceWeather.com, which noted on its website: “During yesterday’s surprise geomagnetic storm, hot ribbons of plasma flowed through Earth’s magnetosphere. The name of this phenomenon is “STEVE,” short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. It was also seen in Montana and Pennsylvania.”
The mysterious phenomenon that arises from a solar storm is called STEVE
STEVE was seen in many places in the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and reportedly lasted between 40 minutes and an hour. While not much is known about these streams of purple light, we do know a few facts about them.
STEVE is a very recent discovery. It was first observed in 2017 by citizen scientists and aurora hunters in northern Canada, according to Live Science. The purple glow is formed due to ribbons of excessively hot gas (over 3000 degrees Celsius) moving through the Earth’s magnetosphere. These ribbons of gas tend to move much faster than the surrounding air and when they come into contact with radiation from solar storms, they emit a bright colored band. These are different from auroras because they are not caused by solar radiation colliding with oxygen and nitrogen atoms through a process called refraction.
While this is still a sketchy understanding of the chemical and physical activities that are taking place to cause this strange phenomenon, it does provide an impressive view of the sky. As for whether it can affect us, so far there is no evidence that these light displays are harmful to us or the planet.