Eric Donovan from the University of Calgary, Canada spoted some strange photos shared on a Facebook group.

What was it?

At a first sight, it looked like an edited picture like people do. But when he looked closer he saw that it was a catalogued phenomenon.

The Facebook group in which he have been were calling it a proton arc, but Eric knew that proton auroras were not visible with naked eye.

The European Space Agency (ESA) sent some instruments to measure the phenomenon at a distance of 300 km (190 miles) above the surface of the Earth.

They found a temperature of the air was 3.000C (5.432F), hotter inside the gas stream than outside.

Little else is known about this purple light arc as it appears not as an aurora as it does not stem from the Earth’s magnetic field.

But why Steve?

The Group called it Steve in homage to ‘Over the Hedge’ movie, where the characters named a creature they have not seen before.

Roger Haagmans of the ESA said: “It is amazing how a beautiful natural phenomenon, seen by observant citizens, can trigger scientists’ curiosity.