Explanation: Understanding Auroral Ovals
Have you ever seen a complete auroral oval? One cannot view it from the ground due to its vast size encircling one of Earth’s magnetic poles. However, spacecraft positioned high above Earth can capture this phenomenon.
The featured video from ESA and CAS’s robotic SMILE spacecraft illustrates not only a full auroral oval but also captures one that occurred during daylight using ultraviolet light. This time-lapse, spanning about an hour in late July, vividly depicts the variable and turbulent nature of auroras.
The twinkling points of light on the sides are distant stars, giving the illusion of movement due to shifts in the camera view as the spacecraft orbits Earth. An essential aim of SMILE is to enhance our understanding of how the Sun’s wind interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere, facilitating better protection for astronauts, spacecraft, and ground-based electrical grids from potential damage due to solar storms.
Tomorrow’s picture: a ghost.
