22/08/2026
Met STEVE.
STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) is a rare atmospheric light phenomenon that appears as a narrow, violet-white arc across the night sky. It is caused by extremely hot, fast-flowing plasma in the upper atmosphere. Unlike the aurora, STEVE is not produced directly by charged particles from the Sun raining down into the atmosphere, but by strong electrical currents and rapid plasma flows in the ionosphere.
https://www.scotsman.com/.../celestial-phenomenon-steve...
Where was it photographed? At Trumpan on Waternish!
In 1578, the small church at Trumpan on the Waternish peninsula of the Isle of Skye became the scene of one of the most brutal episodes in Scottish clan history. At the time, the MacDonalds of Uist and the MacLeods of Dunvegan were locked in a bitter feud.
One Sunday, a group of MacDonalds landed on Skye. They knew that many MacLeods had gathered for worship inside Trumpan Church. The attackers surrounded the building, blocked the exits and set fire to its thatched roof. Men, women and children were trapped inside. According to tradition, only one girl survived, badly injured. She managed to raise the alarm and warn the MacLeods.
Revenge came swiftly. MacLeod warriors pursued the MacDonalds before they could escape from Skye. At Bàgh na Fala – the “Bay of Blood” – they caught up with them, and the MacDonalds were decisively defeated.
According to legend, their bodies were then buried beneath a stone wall that later became known as the “Wall of the Dead.”
The ruins of Trumpan Church still stand today, lonely above the sea – a sombre reminder of just how merciless the old clan feuds on Skye could be.
So who took the photograph – and where?
Frank Heumann set up his tripod above his chest while lying inside the roofless, fire-scarred ruins of Trumpan Church.
“What a fascinating moment.”
The Scotsman devoted two full pages to the story.
