A rare natural phenomenon illuminated the skies of the United Kingdom on the night of Monday the 7th, providing a unique spectacle. This phenomenon, known as Steve (Increased Thermal Emission Velocity), It usually appears during auroral displays, although it is scientifically distinct from them.
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Unlike auroras, which generally appear in an oval shape or as a horizontally extended curtain, Steve manifests as a glowing ribbon that can last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.
Although little is still known about this phenomenon, scientists believe it is caused by a rapid flow of extremely hot particles, called subauroral ion drift (SAID).
Given its unpredictable nature, recording a Steve from the ground is unusual. According to the ‘BBC’, the last time it was sighted This phenomenon in the United Kingdom was in November 2023.
Although the phenomenon has been photographed for decades, the name “Steve” was assigned in 2016 as part of a citizen science project supported by NASA.
This project encouraged the documentation of sightings of atmospheric phenomena little known.
The origin of the name is curious, since it is inspired by a scene from the movie ‘The Forestless’, in which a group of animals, upon finding something unknown, decide to call it “Steve” to reduce fear of the phenomenon.
Subsequently, Scientists adopted the term and turned it into an acronym.
As well as Steve, the Northern Lights were also visible in several regions of the UK, from the Western Isles to Buckinghamshire and Kent in the south of England.
According to the British Meteorological Service, This visibility was driven by intense solar activity in the days beforewhich included one of the largest solar flares recorded in the last seven years.
Roberto Peixoto.
O Globe Brazil / GDA.
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*This content was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from O Globo Brasil / GDA. It was reviewed by a journalist and an editor.
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