SMILE Spacecraft Captures Complete Daytime Auroral Oval

SMILE Spacecraft Captures Complete Daytime Auroral Oval in Ultraviolet

The joint European and Chinese spacecraft captured the full auroral oval in a time-lapse covering about an hour in late July.

The robotic SMILE spacecraft has captured time-lapse video of a complete auroral oval during the day using ultraviolet light, NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day reported. The full circle cannot be seen from the ground, and the observations support research into protecting astronauts, spacecraft, and electrical grids from solar storms.

The robotic SMILE spacecraft, operated jointly by the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has captured video of a complete auroral oval during the day using ultraviolet light. The imagery was featured by NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day.

A complete auroral oval cannot be seen from the ground because it forms too large a circle around one of Earth's magnetic poles.

The time-lapse covers about an hour in late July. Along the sides of the video, points of light appear to move across the frame. These lights are distant stars that seem to shift as the SMILE spacecraft's camera view changes while orbiting Earth.

Protecting Infrastructure

A goal of the SMILE mission is to better understand how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetosphere. By studying these interactions, researchers aim to protect astronauts, spacecraft, and ground-based electrical grids from solar storms.

Frequently asked questions

Why can a full auroral oval not be seen from the ground?

A complete auroral oval cannot be seen from the ground because it forms too large a circle around one of Earth's magnetic poles.

How did SMILE record the aurora during the daytime?

The SMILE spacecraft captured the daytime auroral oval by recording the phenomenon in ultraviolet light.

What is the goal of the SMILE mission?

A goal of SMILE is to better understand how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetosphere to help protect astronauts, spacecraft, and ground-based electrical grids from solar storms.