Unraveling the Enigma of the 'Steve' Phenomenon: A Mysterious Aurora-Like Spectacle
Scientists have been intrigued by the peculiar aurora-like phenomena known as "Steve" and the picket fence phenomenon. Claire Gasque, a graduate student in physics at the University of California, Berkeley, has proposed a new explanation for these phenomena, suggesting a physical mechanism different from traditional auroras. Gasque's research focuses on the behavior of electric fields in the upper atmosphere, suggesting that parallel electric fields might produce the unique color spectrum observed in the picket fence phenomenon. Gasque and her team have proposed launching rockets to measure electric and magnetic fields within these phenomena, aiming to validate their hypotheses and deepen our understanding of the upper atmosphere's chemistry and physics.