The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Left side. Auroral oval (in false colour) as seen from space, overlaid on top of a visible image of Earth. The red indicates the brightest aurora and blue the dimmest. The brightest aurora is found at midnight.
Right side. Locations of 4 auroral oval crossings by the Cluster spacecraft projecting down to the ionosphere with respect to nightside auroral plasma boundaries. In this projection the Earth is viewed from above the North pole and polar cap, the Sun is located at the top of the image. Events 1 and 2 from early 2001 were both located at the boundary between the Central Plasma Sheet (CPS, in green) and the Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer (PSBL, in blue). Events 3 and 4 in 2002 were found at the boundary between the PSBL and the polar cap.