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Credit & Copyright: MaryBeth Kiczenski
Explanation:
What creates STEVEs?
Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancements
(STEVEs) have likely been seen since antiquity,
but only in the past five years has it
been realized that their colors and shapes make them different from
auroras.
Seen as single bright streaks of pink and purple, the origin of
STEVEs remain an active topic of research.
STEVEs
may be related to
subauroral ion drifts (SAIDs), a supersonic river of hot atmospheric
ions.
For reasons
currently unknown,
STEVEs are frequently accompanied by green
"picket-fence" auroras.
The featured STEVE image is a combination of foreground and background exposures
taken consecutively in mid-March from
Copper Harbor,
Michigan,
USA.
This bright STEVE lasted several minutes, spanned from horizon to horizon,
and appeared in between times of
normal
auroras.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: atmosphere
Publications with words: atmosphere
See also: