The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Earth’s auroras can glow on the sunlit side of the planet, too. They are difficult to see from the ground in visible light because daylight overwhelms them, but the European Space Agency–Chinese Academy of Sciences SMILE mission captured the northern auroral oval in ultraviolet from space. The footage highlighted by ESA was recorded on July 24, 2026; it is distinct from the separate August 2 still pictured in Space.com’s October 2 photo feature.
What are daytime auroras?
Auroras are luminous emissions associated with activity in Earth’s upper atmosphere and magnetic environment. The auroral oval is a broad ring of activity around a magnetic pole. It is not restricted to the night side: activity can extend around the pole on both the dayside and nightside.
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On the dayside, sunlight makes auroral emissions hard to distinguish from the ground in ordinary visible-light viewing. SMILE’s ultraviolet aurora imager, or UVI, observes those emissions from space in ultraviolet light, making the sunlit portion of the oval visible in its measurements.
What does the SMILE image show?
SMILE stands for Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer. It is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, designed to study how Earth responds to the solar wind. ESA says UVI’s first released footage was captured on July 24, 2026, about two weeks after the instrument was switched on. The auroral activity was associated with a disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field caused by a rush of solar-wind particles. ESA’s September 30, 2026 mission update describes the footage and mission status.
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The dates refer to different material: July 24 is the capture date for the footage ESA highlighted, while Space.com’s October 2 feature captions a separate still as taken on August 2, 2026. Neither date should be mistaken for the other. Space.com’s photo feature describes activity extending around the North Pole on both the dayside and nightside.
How does SMILE study the aurora?
UVI is one of four science instruments on the spacecraft. Each contributes a different kind of observation:
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| Instrument | What it observes or measures |
|---|---|
| Ultraviolet aurora imager (UVI) | Ultraviolet auroral emissions |
| Soft X-ray imager (SXI) | Soft X-rays associated with the interaction between the solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere |
| Magnetometer (MAG) | Magnetic fields |
| Light ion analyser (LIA) | Light ions |
Observing the full northern auroral ring helps researchers examine the aurora in the context of conditions around Earth, rather than treating a bright patch as an isolated view. ESA says UVI can record auroras for up to 45 hours at a time. That is an instrument capability, not the duration of the July 24 footage. ESA also describes UVI as the first camera since 2008 to capture the complete northern auroral ring in ultraviolet.
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Where does this fit in the mission?
SMILE launched on May 19, 2026, reached its target science orbit on June 20, and ESA declared it ready to begin science operations on September 23. The mission’s instruments are intended to help investigate solar activity, Earth’s magnetic field, auroras, geomagnetic storms, and space weather, including potential effects on electronic infrastructure on and around Earth.
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That readiness announcement did not mean every instrument was already operating without adjustment. In its September 30 update, ESA said SXI had taken initial calibration images but still showed excess stray light when pointed toward Earth, and that adjustments were under way. This is an early-operation caveat for SXI; the July auroral footage discussed here comes from UVI.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why observe the whole oval from space?
A view spanning the dayside and nightside gives scientists a way to follow how auroral activity relates to the solar wind and conditions in Earth’s magnetic environment. The image is therefore a scientific observation—not a conventional visible-light photograph, a forecast, or evidence that daytime auroras will be plainly visible to people on the ground.
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