Steve vs. Auroras: The Mystery of the Night Sky Lights

Updated December 1, 2023

“These magnificent purple and green lights aren’t auroras. This is Steve.” That CNN article title caught my eye for two reasons. One, it referenced auroras, the colorful night sky phenomenon I’m hoping one day to see in person for myself. But also because I wondered if “Steve” was the demon someone recently referred to in a comment they’d left on a YouTube post.

We’ll get to that, but first, let’s talk about this Steve phenomenon and why it’s similar to an aurora borealis or aurora australis (auroras) but is its own thing.

What a Steve Is

The smart aleck in me can’t help but comment, “A Steve is a name, usually for a male person.” But in this case, it refers to a rare night sky anomaly.

It got its name from a group of aurora chasers who were having a drink in a pub in Canada. They met up after attending a lecture that Elizabeth MacDonald, a space physicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, gave at a university in Calgary.

The aurora chasers (I just love that name) asked her about it. She’d never seen one in person. They showed her pictures of the “proton arc” that had similar colors to an aurora, but a different shape.

They all agreed it needed a better name than “proton arc,” though. That’s when they agreed on Steve, which they borrowed from the animated movie Over the Hedge. CNN explained the scene where “a group of animals are frightened by a towering leafy bush and decide to refer to it as Steve. (‘I’m a lot less scared of Steve,’ a porcupine declares.)”

Scientists have kept the name, but after more study of the Steve phenomenon have turned it into an acronym: “Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.”

Basically, scientists now theorize “the lights are a visual manifestation of something called subauroral ion drift, or SAID.”

How Steve Differs from an Aurora

Unlike auroras, Steves can be fickle and “frustratingly difficult to spot.” If you’ll see one, it will be with an aurora, but “not all auroras include a Steve.”

While an aurora can be seen with the naked eye, particularly in areas with little to no light pollution, the CNN article explained a Steve is best seen through a camera lens. They’re more sensitive and able to pick up the colors. (Sometimes that’s the case with auroras, too.)

As for appearance, from what I gather, auroras are more a swirl of colors lighting up the sky. A Steve is more linear and vertical and can appear more like a contrail.

Steve the Demon

Recently I posted a poll in the Community section of Haunt Jaunts’ YouTube channel. I asked “Which experiment would scare you most?” The choices included summoning a demon, inviting a ghost to follow you home, attracting a Bigfoot, or greeting an alien.

@PETERTHEGAMER69 commented: “Steve ain’t that bad. He just wants your soul and your rights to feel emotions.”

I replied, “lol But…Who’s Steve?”

“The demon,” he answered.

Is there a demon named Steve from some movie or something I’m not familiar with? Or was he referring to this aurora-like phenomenon? I don’t know, but I asked. If he replies, I’ll update this post.

Update

@PETERTHEGAMER69 graciously responded to my comment asking if Steve the demon was actually a reference to this Northern Lights-like phenomenon called Steve. Nope. I’m still not sure why he named a demon Steve, but sure. Why not? Maybe it’s like a “Karen” thing. I don’t know. All I know is that the name “Steve” suddenly seemed to crop up in ways and places I never would’ve imagined.

For More Info

If you want to become an aurora chaser too, or as they’re more often called, a citizen scientist, check out Aurorasaurus.

Check-In

Did you know that about every 11 years, Earth experiences a period of enhanced solar activity or solar maximum? Apparently, we’re entering such a phase, so there will be more chances to see auroras (and possibly any accompanying Steves).