Aurora is the ethereal display of light waves that has always intrigued skygazers and lovers. However, there is a similar phenomenon to the aurora, known as 'Steve' and 'Picket Fence.' Holding similarities in looks and behaviour, the Steve and Picket Fence phenomena are highly distinct and not categorised as traditional auroras. These enthralling atmospheric occurrences, which often feature stunning light dancing waves, provide a fascinating layer to the celestial wonders.
When the aurora fascinates the skywatchers, Steve and Picket Fence show presence at the same time. This intriguing light show, which is not an aurora, looks like a purple and green ribbon with streaks of green light. The Steve and Picket Fence are mysterious, which adds to their fascination and captivates scientists and skywatchers.
According to the release of the University of California, Berkeley, Steve's tongue-in-cheek reference to the benign name given a scary hedge in a 2006 children's movie, its associated picket fence was thought to be caused by the same physical processes as the typical auroras. However, scientists are still trying to understand how these brilliant emissions were formed as aurora is not every beautiful light in the sky.
Claire Gasque, a physics graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests a physical explanation for these events in her latest report that is different from the processes that cause the well-known auroras. She teamed with researchers at the university's Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) to propose that NASA fly a rocket into the core of the aurora to see if her observation is correct.
As the sun enters the active phase of its 11-year cycle, bright auroras and illuminating phenomena, including Steve and Picket Fence, become more general. November was a strong month for Steve's observations in the northern latitudes. As solar storms and coronal mass ejections cause all these brief luminous phenomena, the approaching solar maximum is an opportune moment to investigate unusual events like Steve and Picket Fence.
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