STEVE

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/steve

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered STEVE?2016
2. How high is STEVE?Approximately 450 km (280 mi)
3. What is the phenomenon type?Atmospheric optical phenomenon
4. What is the plasma ribbon temperature?3,000 °C (5,430 °F)
5. Why does STEVE look like a ribbon?STEVE comes from a narrow band of very hot plasma that moves very fast. The hot, fast-moving plasma makes a long, thin light stripe that looks like a ribbon.
6. Where does STEVE appear in the sky?STEVE is seen high above the Earth, about 450 kilometers up. It usually shows up when the planet’s magnetic field is active.

Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement (STEVE): A distinct atmospheric optical phenomenon characterized by a ribbon of hot, fast-moving plasma in the upper atmosphere.
Plasma: An ionized gas comprising ions and free electrons, often considered the fourth state of matter, capable of emitting light when energized.
Magnetosphere: The region around a planet where its magnetic field dominates over the solar wind.
Ionosphere: A region of Earth's upper atmosphere, characterized by the presence of ionized particles, that affects radio wave propagation.