Amateur astronomers discovered a new type of aurora that you can see much farther south - and they named it 'Steve'
After comparing the images the amateurs submitted with satellite data, the NASA researchers found they were looking at a whole new type of aurora.
Auroras are created when charged particles emanating from the sun interact with our planet's magnetic field, resulting in brilliant displays of green, blue, and red light.
Steve, however, travels on a different magnetic field than other auroras, which is why it's spotted at lower latitudes.
Steve also emanates from a spot twice as high in the sky as the northern lights.
Scientists classified Steve as a sub auroral ion drift, or SAID. Steve is the first example of a SAID that's accompanied by a visual display.
The discovery gave scientists a unique window into how the magnetic fields surrounding Earth interact with charged particles in space, according to NASA.
This video from NASA shows how Steve is formed:
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