What Is STEVE? The Mysterious Purple Auroral Phenomenon Explained

What Is STEVE? The Mysterious Purple Auroral Phenomenon Explained

You're gazing up at the night sky and notice something strange - a ribbon of purple light dancing above the horizon. This isn't the Aurora Borealis you're familiar with. No, you've spotted something even more elusive and mysterious - the atmospheric phenomenon known as STEVE. Named in 2016 by a group of Aurora watchers in Alberta, STEVE stands for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. While the Northern Lights are caused by particles from solar wind colliding with gasses in our atmosphere, STEVE is the result of hot atmospheric gasses moving at high speeds. Spotting STEVE is rare since it only appears a few times a year. If you're lucky enough to witness the colorful light show that is STEVE, know that you've seen something truly out of this world.

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What STEVE Stands For

So, what exactly does STEVE stand for? Well, it’s actually not an official acronym. Aurora watchers in Canada coined the term in 2016 just to give the strange purple light ribbons they were spotting a name. Some suggested it stood for “Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement”, but there’s no scientific consensus on that.

STEVE often appears during Auroral activity and seems to be connected to the charged particles that cause the Northern Lights. However, STEVE is its own separate phenomenon. It looks like a narrow ribbon of purple and sometimes green light stretching east to west. Unlike the Northern Lights, which tend to dance and flicker, STEVE remains still. It’s often visible for an hour or less at a time.

Spotting STEVE is mostly a matter of luck and timing. To have the best chance, find an area far away from city lights with an unobstructed view of the northern horizon. The further north you are, the better. Keep an eye out around local sunset or within a few hours after for the telltale bright magenta glow. If conditions are right, you may just catch this elusive atmospheric wonder.

While the Northern Lights are a familiar sight, witnessing the rare beauty of STEVE can be a magical experience for skywatchers. Scientists still have much to learn about what causes this unusual Auroral event. For now, seeing STEVE in person is a thrill like no other for those chasing the lights. If you’re one of the lucky ones, be sure to share your pics and sighting details with citizen science programs that track Auroral events. Every observation helps solve the mystery!

What Causes the STEVE Phenomenon?

So you've spotted the mystical purple lights in the night sky and wondered - what exactly is that? Unlike the Northern Lights, that spectacular phenomenon is called STEVE, which stands for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.

STEVE appears as a thin purple ribbon of light that seems to flow rapidly from east to west. You'll typically only see STEVE at higher latitudes in western Canada, like Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The highest chance to spot this unusual sight is around 10 pm to 3 am local time in the spring and fall.

What causes this peculiar phenomenon? Scientists believe STEVE may be linked to a fast-flowing river of hot, charged particles in the ionosphere, located between 60 to 90 miles up in the atmosphere. As these particles move rapidly, they emit the purplish light we observe as STEVE.

STEVE is often accompanied by green picket fence-like lights that flicker below. These are known as the “picket fence aurora” and are caused by the same hot particles interacting with oxygen molecules. While related, STEVE and the picket fence aurora are distinct events.

Unlike the colorful Northern Lights which result from solar particles entering our atmosphere, STEVE may be caused by heating within the ionosphere itself. However, scientists are still studying STEVE to better understand what exactly generates this strange sky show.

So if you're lucky enough to spot the shimmering purple and green lights of STEVE across the sky, enjoy the show! You're witnessing an unusual atmospheric wonder that we have yet to fully figure out.

When and Where Can You See STEVE?

Seeing the mysterious STEVE phenomenon in person is a treat for any sky watcher or Aurora enthusiast. To catch a glimpse of STEVE, you need to be in the right place at the right time.

Location

STEVE occurs at high latitudes, typically between 50 to 70 degrees north or south. The northern lights zone, if you will. Some of the best places to spot STEVE include:

Canada, especially northern parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Yukon.
Alaska, USA. Parts of the state like Fairbanks are prime Aurora viewing spots.
Northern Europe, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.
New Zealand's South Island. STEVE has been observed in the southern hemisphere too!

Time of Year

STEVE is most visible around the equinoxes in spring and fall, from March to October in the northern hemisphere. During these months, the Auroral oval expands, increasing your chances of seeing the colorful light show. The hours around midnight tend to be ideal for spotting STEVE.

Predicting STEVE

While we don't fully understand what causes STEVE yet, scientists have found it is associated with Auroral substorms and drops in geomagnetic activity. Checking a forecast before heading out to watch the night sky can increase your odds of catching this ephemeral phenomenon.

Unlike the shimmering, dancing Northern Lights, STEVE often remains stationary for hours. Its distinctive mauve color also helps set it apart from the greens and reds of the Aurora. While Aurora is caused by particles interacting with gasses in the atmosphere, STEVE may have an alternative explanation - one which is still being studied and explored. Witnessing this strange atmospheric wonder in person leads to as many questions as it does moments of wonder.

How STEVE Differs From the Aurora Borealis

STEVE is a mysterious atmospheric phenomenon that appears differently than the better-known Northern Lights. Here’s how this rare sight differs from the Aurora Borealis.

Appearance

STEVE often manifests as a long, mauve-colored ribbon of light across the night sky. The Northern Lights, on the other hand, typically appear as shimmering green curtains of light that dance and swirl. The colors of STEVE seem to remain in the purple-red part of the visible light spectrum, while the Aurora Borealis usually also incorporates greens and occasionally other colors like red, pink, and blue.

Position

STEVE is most often spotted at lower latitudes, closer to the equator, than the Northern Lights. The Aurora Borealis is usually only visible at far northern latitudes, near the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. STEVE has been observed as far south as Colorado and Utah in the U.S., while the Northern Lights are typically only seen in northern parts of Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia.

Cause

The exact cause of STEVE remains unknown, though scientists believe it may be related to charged particles from the sun interacting with gasses in the atmosphere. The Northern Lights, on the other hand, are known to be caused by the solar wind—streams of charged particles from the sun—colliding with gasses like oxygen and nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere. The different colors of the Aurora are caused by the type of gas particles that are colliding.

If you’re an avid sky watcher or Aurora hunter, keep an eye out for the telltale mauve ribbon of STEVE gliding slowly across the night sky. While not as dramatic as the Northern Lights show, spotting this rare atmospheric wonder can be incredibly rewarding. With more observations, scientists continue to learn more about what causes this curious celestial phenomenon.

FAQs: STEVE Phenomenon

What does “STEVE” stand for?

STEVE is an acronym for “Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement”. The name was coined in late 2016 by Aurora watchers in Alberta, Canada who spotted this strange new atmospheric phenomenon and wanted to give it a fun name.

When and where can you see STEVE?

STEVE tends to appear during the equinoxes in spring and fall, though it can be spotted at other times of the year as well. The best locations to view STEVE are at higher latitudes, typically 50° and above, so northern Canada, Alaska, northern Scandinavia, and Scotland are prime viewing destinations. Unlike the Northern Lights which can often be viewed for hours, STEVE usually only lasts for about an hour at a time.

How is STEVE different from the Northern Lights?

While the Northern Lights (also known as the Aurora Borealis) are caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with gasses in the atmosphere, STEVE is caused by hot atmospheric gasses. STEVE appears as a narrow ribbon of purple and green light that stretches east to west across the sky, whereas the Northern Lights often appear as shimmering curtains of green and red that dance across the sky.

STEVE is a more recently discovered atmospheric wonder that is not fully understood. Scientists are still studying this peculiar phenomenon to determine what exactly causes the hot gasses in the atmosphere to emit the colorful light ribbons seen during a STEVE event. For now, spotting a STEVE remains a rare and delightful treat for sky watchers and aurora hunters.

FAQs:

Is STEVE dangerous? No, STEVE is a harmless atmospheric optical phenomenon.
Where is the best spot to see STEVE? Higher northern or southern latitudes, away from city lights.
When is STEVE most active? Around the equinoxes in spring and fall.
How long does a STEVE event last? Typically around 1 hour.
Is STEVE as common as the Northern Lights? No, STEVE is a rare event. The Northern Lights are more frequently observed.

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The most useful Northern Lights online tools for a successful Aurora hunt. Are you about to hunt the Northern Lights on your own? Then you will find these resources helpful. If you are trying to see Aurora for the first time we recommend signing up for the Northern Lights Online Course where is explained step-by-step all you need to know to see the Northern Lights in an easy way.

Northern Lights essential online tools designed for beginners to help you see Aurora like the handy Aurora Mobile App and Northern Lights Online Course will help you to understand how Aurora works and to monitor real-time activity.
The Northern Lights Forecast for 3 days and long-term Aurora forecast for up to 27 days ahead can be found here: Geophysical Institute Forecast, NOAA Aurora Forecast, Spaceweatherlive Forecast or in the Northern Lights App.
Find the best Aurora spots with the light pollution map and cloud cover prediction.
Northern Lights activity in real-time: Real-time Aurora activity (worldwide magnetometers), Solar Wind activity, Sun's activity, Aurora live Boreal webcams list or Aurora App.
Additional resources to know when it will be dark enough Darkness graph & Map and how much the moon will illuminate the sky Moon Phase + Moonrise & Moonset.
If you decide to go with professional Aurora hunters here you can find the top-rated Aurora Tours.

Conclusion

So there you have it - the mysterious STEVE phenomenon explained. Next time you're watching the night sky for a spectacular Auroral show, keep an eye out for this rare purple ribbon of light dancing on the horizon. You never know, you might just get lucky and catch STEVE making an appearance. And when you do see it, you'll know you're witnessing something special - an unusual atmospheric wonder that scientists are still working to fully understand. While the Northern Lights might steal the show most nights, STEVE is the real star. A celestial spectacle in its own right that reminds us how much we still have to discover about the wonders of the world around us.

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