Joint European and Chinese satellite Smile transmits first images of polar auroras

The joint European-Chinese Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, known as the Smile satellite, officially began its science operations this week. Live Science reported that the spacecraft marked the milestone by transmitting a ghostly image of Earth's sunlit North Pole surrounded by giant auroras. [1]

The initial observations were made using the spacecraft's Ultraviolet Imager instrument, according to reports by freeyork and UA.NEWS. The instruments captured clear views of the auroral ring circling the polar region under full solar illumination. [2][3]

The primary goal of the mission is to study the global interaction between Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind, which is the stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun. By imaging the aurora in ultraviolet wavelengths, the satellite enables scientists to map geomagnetic activity and energy transfer in the upper atmosphere continuously. [1][3]