We present a new approach for the analysis of high-resolution digital
camera photographs taken by photographers who have fortuitously been
able to capture rare events such as the glowing sky phenomenon known as
STEVE. This method is especially effective with a time lapse series of
images of the night sky taken under constant camera settings with a
steady pointing. Stars, planets and satellites seen in such images can
be used to determine precise and accurate registration of camera pixels
to coordinates of angular altitude and azimuth. The location of
satellites in the image enables precise and accurate synchronization of
the images. We apply these techniques to the series of photographs of
STEVE taken on 25 July 2016. We confirm the altitude structure
previously found for STEVE. We find it most likely that the green picket
fence features often seen during STEVE events are produced by auroral
electron precipitation. With the precipitation assumption, we are able
to extract novel information about the energy spectrum of the particles
responsible for the production of STEVE luminosity in this particular
event. Similar analyses of archived digital photographs may constitute a
treasure trove of important data for improved understanding of rare and
transient events such as STEVE.