A ground-based observation station designed to record the northern lights has captured images of an unexplained pale gray glow that appears among streaks of green and red.. Sky observers had observed similar flashes before, but no one could explain where they came from..

Using new spectral data, a team of researchers led by scientists from the University of Calgary in Canada may have solved this mystery.. They compared the bleached white and gray islands to a recently described meteorological oddity called STEVE, Science Alert reports..

[see_also ids\u003d"

As a rule, the Earth's magnetic field reflects most of the plasma particles that are thrown towards the planet by the Sun. But in some cases, some solar particles collide with the atmosphere, causing its molecules to glow in different colors, depending on the composition of the elements and their concentration.

The aurora is usually green and red in color because it is produced by nitrogen and oxygen at different altitudes.. Therefore, the appearance of white and gray flowers is something unexpected.

But auroras are not the only “show” in the atmosphere. It can radiate through other energetic processes, some of which are much more complex than others.. For example, ordinary sunlight can cause molecules to break apart and recombine, emitting a faint light that can be seen in the Earth's shadow, known as nightglow.

A few years ago, scientists noticed unusual grayish-purple flashes that they called STEVE, an acronym for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. . While scientists don't know exactly what's behind this phenomenon, white glare could be a variant of night glow.

“There are similarities between what we see now and STEVE. STEVE appears as this structure of purple or gray tone. To be fair, the spectral height between the two is very similar, but this, due to its connection to the dynamic aurora, is almost built into the aurora. It's harder to pick out if you look at it, whereas STEVE is separated from the aurora - a large stripe across the sky,"

Scientists recently deployed the Transition Region Explorer observatory, designed to record auroras in color profiles calibrated to provide reliable spectral data. This allowed the researchers to analyze the mixture of wavelengths that make up white light for clues about how it came to be..

Scientists have found that the spots extend for tens or even hundreds of kilometers, appear in active auroras and are likely caused by something in the display that generates heat, which in turn triggers chemical reactions capable of emitting a continuum of electromagnetic wavelengths.

According to researchers, the whole process may represent a new chain of events indirectly related to auroras.

Recall that NASA experts are tracking a strange anomaly in the Earth's magnetic field. This is a giant area of \u200b\u200blow magnetic intensity over the planet that extends between South America and South West Africa..