
Scientists discover what powers celestial phenomenon STEVE - lelf
https://phys.org/news/2019-04-scientists-powers-celestial-phenomenon-steve.html
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DiseasedBadger
The only sentence in the entire article that is actually about STEVE, doesn't
really explain how it's different from a regular aurora.

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salutonmundo
Possibly the greatest headline in the history of astronomy.

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ohiovr
Is this a new phenomina or has it occured before?

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ksaj
The article spends a fair amount of time answering just that question.

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cardiffspaceman
The question's answer is approached but not quite reached with vague words
about sensitive cameras. The article does not explicitly say that the
phenomenon even is or isn't visible to the naked eye. The wikipedia article
[1] suggests that the phenomenon was 'discovered' in 2016. But that leaves a
little room for the possibility that it was occasionally noticed before then
but not rigorously observed with photographs, witnessed notes, and the like,
to document the sightings.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_(atmospheric_phenomenon)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_\(atmospheric_phenomenon\))

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ksaj
"The phenomenon is not rare, but nobody had looked into it in detail prior to
that."

Hmm, you're right. What you are reading between the lines is _apparently_
correct. Both the article and the wikipedia entry seem to actively avoid
stating things in definite terms on that detail.

The first article I read about it said that the "discoverers" knew about it
for some time, and it wasn't until they tried googling it that they realized
it didn't have a name.

My sister, who by coincidence lives just outside Calgary (where Steve was
"discovered") tells me that she's known about it since she was a child and
just assumed it was part of the Northern Lights. But... that's anecdotal and
doesn't make up for the recent articles focusing on the newer discovery as to
its cause.

It is naked-eye visible as long as your light pollution is such that you can
see Aurorae when they happen.

The other part that was recently discovered is that it can be seen as far
central as the equator. Can _that_ be seen by the naked eye? I think that
might not be stated so clearly either.

I have also not heard if the south presents the same or similar phenomenon.

