Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

A Complete Auroral Oval from SMILE

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 6, 2026 is “A Complete Auroral Oval from SMILE,” an image. It is credited to ESA, CAS, SMILE, UVI. The original explanation runs about 148 words.

A round Earth takes up most of the video. The dayside and nightside are visible. A swirling, moving aurora is visible surrounding Earth's North Pole. There are some bright objects that speckle the background.
Credit: ESA, CAS, SMILE, UVI Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Have you ever seen a complete auroral oval? You can’t see one from the ground because it makes too large a circle around one of Earth’s magnetic poles.”

— APOD editors, October 6, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 6, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: ESA, CAS, SMILE, UVI
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 148 words

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.