northern lights

On 23 September, the joint European-Chinese Smile mission was declared ready to begin its work revealing how Earth responds to the wind of charged particles streaming from the Sun. The first footage released from the mission captures the full ring of northern lights around the polar regions, offering a new view of how the magnetosphere behaves.

The European-Chinese Smile mission has released the first images from its ultraviolet camera, capturing an auroral substorm. The footage shows the full ring of northern lights around the Earth's polar region, something no spacecraft has recorded since 2008. Scientists say the observations will help study how solar wind drives sudden, dramatic brightenings of the aurora.

Astronomy watchers in the United States are looking ahead to a busy October sky. According to Travel + Leisure, the month will bring three separate meteor showers, Saturn at its brightest, possible northern lights displays, and a final chance to view the Milky Way before the season shifts. Stargazers are sharing viewing tips and calendars for the events.

Photographers are sharing moody autumn road scenes at sunset, with one hazy dusk landscape of a highway lined with cars drawing warm reactions. The seasonal tags in both English and Russian suggest the trend is crossing language communities as the northern autumn light peaks and people post their evening drives and twilight landscapes.

The BBC police drama Blue Lights is drawing attention in Northern Ireland, where its portrayal of policing has resonated strongly with local audiences. Set and filmed in Belfast, the series follows probationary police officers and is being praised for capturing the realities and tensions of police work in the region, prompting renewed discussion about its local impact.

A photograph of the reclining Buddha at Wat Phra That Doi Kham in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, has drawn attention for framing the statue against clouds and blue sky. The image highlights the hilltop temple, a popular site for photographers and visitors, and the striking light often found in the region. Viewers are praising the composition, with the sky treated as an element of the picture rather than a backdrop.

Students from Northern Kentucky University have created an interactive art installation for BLINK, the Cincinnati region's large-scale light and art festival, developed through a partnership with TANK, the regional transit authority. The collaboration gives students hands-on experience in public art while adding a new work to the festival's lineup of illuminated displays across the Ohio River cities.

Jack Seale's Guardian review of the Northern Ireland-set police drama Blue Lights hails it as television's most thrilling cop show, saying the series has never felt like this before. The new run brings race riots, organised crime and institutional politics into the storylines, pulling the drama bang up to date and raising the stakes for its officers in Belfast.

Travel guidance highlights the experience of visiting Alaska's national parks in winter, when parks like Denali, Kenai Fjords and Gates of the Arctic offer snow-covered landscapes, northern lights viewing and far fewer crowds. The information covers what visitors should know about access, conditions and planning a cold-season trip to Alaska's remote parklands.