Rare Steve phenomenon and Northern Lights grace UK skies - with aurora 'likely' visible tonight

8 October 2024, 11:14 | Updated: 8 October 2024, 11:18

A phenomenon known as 'Rare Steve' lit up skies across the UK on Monday night, with stargazers across the north of England and Scotland graced with the most vibrant views.

Steve is often confused with the tradition aurora - or 'Northern Lights' - and its last appearance was reported back in March 2024 and spotted across the Shetland Islands in 2021.

A relatively new scientific discovery, Steve rarely appears in UK skies - and when spotted, it's fleeting.

However, Steve - short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement - returned to UK skies across Scotland and the north-east England on Monday.

An atmospheric optical phenomenon, Steve appears as a purple and green light ribbon that stretches across the sky.

The light display only appears in conjunction with a traditional aurora, but is entirely separate and far rarer, according to stargazers.

The difference between Steve and a traditional aurora lies in its shape.

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While auroras appear in an oval shape, Steve appears as a ribbon across the sky.

The phenomenon tends to only last around 20 minutes to an hour before disappearing entirely.

Steve gained its name in 2016 following a US citizen science project funded by Nasa and the National Science Foundation.

The inspiration is thought to have hailed from animated movie Over the Hedge, with a group of animals chancing upon the awe-inspiring phenomenon - a big garden hedge.

"What is this thing?" one creature says aloud.

"I'd be a lot less afraid of it if I just knew what it was called," says another, before a squirrel suggests calling the phenomenon Steve.

And if you missed last night's display, stargazers are likely to be able to catch the aurora itself once again across UK skies on Tuesday evening.

The light show could be seen across the northern hemisphere on Monday night, with stargazers as far away as the US and Canada snapping the light display.

However, despite being most vibrant in the North, the aurora itself could be seen as far south as Buckinghamshire.

Little is known about the formation of Steve itself, with questions remaining as to why it only appear during an aurora display.

The timing of the aurora and Steve come after solar winds sent charged particles towards Earth over the weekend.

The lights are expected to be visible over the coming nights across the UK, with areas of the North likely to receive more vibrant displays.