A mysterious purple beam lit up the skies across Europe last weekend, leaving people puzzled about what it really was. This fascinating event was not a one-time thing; it happened at the same time as two Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) that hit Earth on November 4 and 5. These impacts caused a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm, leading to aurora like phenomena being visible even in places like Colorado and Texas.
While the storm is calming down now, minor G1-class storming is expected to continue until November 6, according to reliable reports from sources that monitor space related activities.
During the height of the storm, bright purple beam of lights danced in the northern Europe skies. However, not all of these lights were typical auroras.
One person from the Northern Ireland, Martin McKenna, reported a remarkable sight. He said, “To our utter amazement, we observed a striking phenomenon. It was STEVE!” The purple beam of light was intense and visible to the naked eye. It had delicate structures, like those found in a feather, and it seemed to change shape over time.
STEVE stands for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. It is a relatively recent discovery. It may look like an aurora, but it is quite different. The soft purple glow is caused by hot streams of gas, reaching scorching temperatures of 3000 degrees Celsius. These flow through Earth’s magnetic field at speeds over 6 kilometre per second. These steams get energized during strong geomagnetic storms, like the one that appeared over the weekend.
Another observer in England, Wil Cheung, saw an even more dramatic version of STEVE over Whitley Bay. He marvelled at the sight, saying that it lasted for more than an hour. While strong auroras danced in the North, STEVE gracefully flowed across the sky in the South.
Despite significant progress in understanding STEVE in the recent years, many mysteries still surround this phenomenon. About 75 percent of each sighting still remains unexplained, adding to the curiosity about this atmospheric event.