NASA · Space

SMILE Spacecraft Captures Complete Auroral Oval

The SMILE spacecraft has captured an image of a complete auroral oval, an event not visible from Earth's surface due to its immense size.

The featured video, taken in ultraviolet light, shows a full auroral oval during the day and illustrates the dynamic nature of auroras over approximately one hour. Distant stars appear to shift due to the spacecraft's orbital movement.

The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission, a collaboration between ESA and CAS, aims to improve understanding of the Sun's interaction with Earth's magnetosphere. This knowledge is crucial for protecting astronauts, spacecraft, and terrestrial power grids from solar storms.

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