Steve

I little promo for my shot 'Steve', which is now up on SuperRare. What is Steve? Most have never heard of it, those that have might just think it's an Aurora. Let me explain below why this purple ribbon is so special and why this shot is so important.

This extremely rare capture went viral, and became a piece of scientific history. The shot and associated time-lapse were used in the physics paper led by W. E. Archer, “The Vertical Distribution of the Optical Emissions of a Steve and Picket Fence Event” published in Geophysical Research Letters, of which I was a co-author.

The paper advanced our understanding of these phenomena by narrowing down the altitude extent of the Steve and picket fence emissions.

I was fortunate enough to capture Steve while observing to the South while at Berg Lake. This meant I was clear of any interference from the Aurora to the North. The image was taken while
camping overnight at 1,646m (5,400 ft) as part of a multi-day back country hike.

The North Face of Mt Robson rises 2,308m (7,572ft) out of the lake to a total height of 3,954 m (12,972 ft) and is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.

If you would like to learn a little bit more about my background in photography you can read the interview @photofeed did with me here.

Robert Downie
Love Life, Love Photography

_{All images in this post were taken by and remain the Copyright of Robert Downie - http://www.intrepidphotos.com}