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Credit & Copyright: Louis LEROUX-GöRö
Explanation:
Sometimes a river of hot gas flows over your head.
In this case the river created a
Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement
(STEVE)
that glowed bright red, white, and pink.
Details of how STEVEs work remain a topic of research, but recent evidence holds that their
glow results from a
fast-moving river of hot ions
flowing over a hundred kilometers up in the
Earth's
atmosphere: the
ionosphere.
The more expansive dull red glow might be related to the flowing
STEVE, but alternatively might be a
Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arc, a
more general heat-related glow.
The featured picture, taken earlier this month in
Cöte d'Opale,
France,
is a wide-angle digital composite made as the
STEVE arc formed nearly overhead.
Although the
apparition lasted only a few minutes,
this was long enough for the
quick-thinking astrophotographer to get in the picture --
can you find him?
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: atmosphere
Publications with words: atmosphere
See also: