aurora

Latest about aurora

So-called "aurora chasers" in Alberta, Canada, photographed an unusual light in the night sky — dubbed "Steve" — and brought it to the attention of astronomers at the University of Calgary and at NASA.

Inside Story Behind Mesmerizing Sky Glow Named 'Steve' Revealed in New Documentary

By Mindy Weisberger last updated

The story behind an oddball sky glow endearingly named "Steve" is revealed in a new documentary. Here's why the light show captivated aurora chasers.

Planet Earth
STEVE is visible as a pink band rising from the lower left to the upper right of the image, as seen with the Milky Way over Childs Lake in Manitoba, Canada.

Mysterious Skyglow 'STEVE' May Have Been Lurking in an Aurora on Labor Day

By Stephanie Pappas last updated

Scientists are analyzing data from the Labor Day auroral light show to find out if a phenomenon known as STEVE was part of the picture.

Astronomy
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Mystery of Weird Sky-Glow Named 'STEVE' Finally Solved

By Mindy Weisberger last updated

Enigmatic STEVE is somewhat like an aurora...and somewhat different.

Particle Physics
A fish-eye-lens photo of STEVE, the mysterious purple river of light, hanging in the sky over Canada

'STEVE' descends on North America after surprise solar storm

By Brandon Specktor last updated

A surprise solar storm bashed Earth on Aug. 7 and 8, triggering an appearance of the mysterious glowing phenomenon called STEVE.

The Sun
The northern aurora lights up the sky over the Gulf of Finland.

Assyrian Tablets Contain Earliest Written Record of Aurora’s Sky Glow

By Mindy Weisberger last updated

Cuneiform tablets from ancient Assyria dating to 679 B.C. contain the earliest written record of an aurora.

Archaeology
Auroral images taken over New Zealand, showing a red auroral arc (left), the skyglow called STEVE (middle), and a partial arc with green picket fence structures (right).

Blood-red aurora transforms into 'STEVE' before stargazer's eyes

By Brandon Specktor published

New footage shows the mysterious auroral phenomenon called STEVE emerging from a blood-red arc of light in New Zealand in 2015.

Astronomy
This image shows the aurora borealis (northern lights) - a mix of green, purple, and blue lights - in the starry night sky above the snow-topped mountains in Alaska.

Do extraterrestrial auroras occur on other planets?

By Joanna Thompson published

Auroras don't just exist on Earth. Here's what we know about auroras on other planets in the solar system.

Planets
An artist's impression of the new sinuous discrete aurora over Mars.

Scientists discover bizarre 'worm-like' aurora stretching halfway across Mars

By Brandon Specktor published

Scientists detected an enormous new type of aurora stretching halfway across the Martian atmosphere.

Mars
The sun let off a double solar flare on Monday, April 25, 2022.

Sunspot sends off double flare, as solar activity ramps up

By Stephanie Pappas published

A restless sunspot sent off a double solar flare on Monday (April 25), temporarily disrupting some radio communications in Asia and Australia.

The Sun
The northern lights over Greenland. The oldest documented observation of an aurora may date to the early 10th century B.C.

Earliest documented aurora found in ancient Chinese text

By Laura Geggel published

The oldest documented observation of an aurora may be in an ancient Chinese text.

Human Behavior
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