An aurora borealis-like phenomenon observable in Canada — but much farther south than the northern lights appear — over Childs Lake, Manitoba. It has been given the name Steve, for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.
A research paper has shed light on what Steve actually is, and scientists have proposed a moniker: Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. So, it’s still Steve. But as a “bacronym” — a retroactive acronym. Steve has a lot in common with a phenomenon called a “sub-auroral ion drift,” or S.A.I.D., in which ions flow very quickly from east to west, closer to the Equator than the aurora borealis. Dr. MacDonald and Dr. Donovan worked with data from Swarm, a constellation of satellites run by the European Space Agency, and learned that Steve is a strip of ionized gas, as hot as the earth’s core and moving through the air at about four miles per second. Further research revealed that Steve was similar to a sub-auroral ion drift. “S.A.I.D.s don’t really have any visual features, so the relationship between them and something as visually stunning as Steve is super fascinating,” he said, adding that his group will keep working with Dr. MacDonald, Dr. Donovan and others to understand the relationship between the two phenomena. "That collaboration between formally trained scientists and dedicated enthusiasts is what makes this project unique," Dr. MacDonald said. “I think of it as a disruptive innovation,” she added. “Something unexpected that changes the way you look at things.”
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March 2018
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