Steve (atmospheric phenomenon)

Hey kiddo! Have you ever wondered why sometimes the sky looks different during sunset or sunrise? Well, have you heard of something called "Steve"?

Steve is not a person, it is actually a really cool atmospheric phenomenon that happens in the sky. It stands for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. That's a big and fancy name, isn't it?

Let me break it down for you. When charged particles from the sun enter our atmosphere, they collide with gases like oxygen and nitrogen. This collision creates a glow, or what we know as the Northern or Southern Lights. But within this light show, scientists have discovered a new type of glow called "Steve".

Steve is like a ribbon of light that appears in the sky, and it's made up of hot gases moving really fast. It's called "Strong" because these gases are moving at a super-fast speed, and "Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement" because it's like they're being thermalized, or made even hotter.

Steve is really cool because it's so different from the Northern or Southern Lights. While those lights are colorful and dance around in the sky, Steve is a more subtle and majestic ribbon of light. Scientists are still learning about it, but for now, we can enjoy watching Steve in the sky during special events like Aurora Borealis or Aurora Australis. Cool, right?