https://xcdr.tv/videos/watch/90aea5a2-e2b3-4e1a-ac64-e5746da3fca1 Smile will be the first spacecraft since 2008 to capture the full ring of northern lights around the north pole in ultraviolet light, and for a record-breaking 45 hours without interruption. Looking down from above, Smile will use its ultraviolet camera to see the full glowing circle around the North Pole. It will reveal where exactly the northern lights are and how they are moving. Geomagnetic storms happen when the Sun sends a huge blast of charged particles, straight in our direction. They cause especially bright auroras that can be seen much further from the poles than usual. Previous spacecraft have only been able to observe the resulting auroras for up to about 15 hours at a time. By recording for 45 hours at a time with UVI, Smile will give us a much better idea of how geomagnetic storms lead to the beautiful lights that have mesmerised humans for thousands of years. Our Sun’s outbursts also have the potential to disrupt and damage satellites as well as vital infrastructure on the ground like power grids and radio communications. By comparing the data Smile collects to reports of damage to infrastructure, we can hopefully better understand the consequences of solar activity on planet Earth. 📹 European Space Agency (ESA) #ESA #northenlights #science Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:38:52 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://xcdr.tv https://xcdr.tv/lazy-static/avatars/d7ff3488-9036-438f-95d1-547afee4fcf4.png https://xcdr.tv/videos/watch/90aea5a2-e2b3-4e1a-ac64-e5746da3fca1 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://xcdr.tv/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.