Since 2016 this aurora was a phenomenon that scientists could not explain. There are two types of Aurora out there: the aurora borealis and the aurora australis. These happen when the Earth’s magnetic field comes into contact with particles coming for the sun, forming this beautiful and rare sight which draws in people from all over the world, no matter their background.
When was this discovered?
Notanee Bourassa is the person who found this new aurora. He found it so unlike anything that he has ever seen before so he thought it must be an important sight. He was not the only one in this position. Astronomers also had no idea over what this phenomenon was all about.
They decided to name it STEVE, short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.
What is this phenomenon?
A group of researchers from the University of Calgary decided to do a research paper on this event. They found out that STEVE is extraordinary in nature. Usually, auroras have an oval shape but STEVE looks like a line that runs from one point to another. The researchers stated that this event reveals a small glimpse into how magnetic fields interact with particles and how they function.
This paper has been published din the scientific journal Science Advances.
STEVE – one of the world’s wonders
The researchers found out that STEVE travel at latitudes that are way lower than what other auroras usually travel towards. This means that the magnetic fields are closer to the equator, a reason why STEVE can be seen in southern Canada.
The most fantastic thing about STEVE is that it is not a new discovery in the field of science. It looks like this phenomenon has been researched since the ‘70s but it has only recently been shown that it also has a pleasant visual effect.
