A bizarre, aurora-like phenomenon known as STEVE made several appearances across the United States and parts of the United Kingdom last week, after a powerful solar storm slammed into Earth without warning.
STEVE, also known as a "strong thermal emission velocity enhancement," is a rare phenomenon that was officially discovered in 2016. During STEVE, a long, thick ribbon of light — usually white, purple or green in color — appears to hang in the sky for up to an hour. Although it looks very similar to auroras, or northern lights, and often appears at the same time, STEVE is not an aurora.
