This was
your sky.

STEVE: A Glowing River over France

Sometimes a river of hot gas glows over your head, creating a Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, or STEVE. STEVEs glow bright red, white, and pink. Research suggests their glow results from a fast-moving river of hot ions flowing over a hundred kilometers up in Earth's atmosphere, in the ionosphere. The more expansive dull red glow might be related to the flowing STEVE, or it might be an aurora.