Europe's SMILE Spacecraft Captures First Ultraviolet Image of Auroral Substorm
Europe's SMILE spacecraft, launched in May 2026, has captured its first ultraviolet image of an auroral substorm, showing a glowing ring of northern lights around Earth's North Pole. This marks the first time since 2008 that a spacecraft has observed the full auroral oval in ultraviolet light. SMILE's ultraviolet camera allows continuous monitoring of auroras for up to 45 hours, helping scientists study how solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field and drives auroral activity.
First-hand measurement across 2 sources
We measured how 2 outlets covered this story. No outlet gave this story a measurable political slant — there is no left–right reading to report. Overall sentiment is positive (68/100). Lens Score 39/100.
Outlets measured: indiatoday, moneycontrol. See how each one headlined and framed the same story in the source comparison below.
AI Analysis
Sentiment was consistent across outlets (65–70/100), indicating broadly factual reporting rather than editorialising.
Coverage timeline
moneycontrol broke this story on 30 Sept, 08:50 am. Other outlets followed.