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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Image taken from a simulation showing what we would expect to see with the s soft X-ray imager (SXI) instrument on ESA's Smile mission. The simulation used data from a coronal mass ejection that occurred on 17 March 2015.
The image shows expected X-ray emissions from the front of Earth’s magnetic field. The edge of the magnetic field is visible as a bright red bow shape. The two red spots indicate the magnetic holes around Earth's north and south poles, where particles are let in and form the auroras.