Smile's X-ray vision

Using its soft X-ray imager (SXI), Smile will be the first-ever mission to make detailed, long-running X-ray observations of Earth's magnetic field. These photos will reveal how Earth defends itself from the solar wind and solar storms.

Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

[Image description: Infographic describing how the Smile mission's soft X-ray imager (SXI) instrument will work. At the centre of the infographic is a picture of Earth with the spacecraft orbiting around it. Three speech bubbles explain that SXI will look at the X-rays released when charged solar wind particles meet neutral particles in Earth's upper atmosphere, and that at the same time Smile's ultraviolet imager instrument will photograph the northern lights. A pop out box at the bottom left explains how the X-ray and ultraviolet images will be combined to give us a better idea of how the solar wind leads to auroras. A pop out on the right shows the location of the SXI instrument on the spacecraft, and lists some technical facts about the instrument.]