Sense
Magnetoception (or magnetoreception) is the ability to detect the direction one is facing based on the Earth's magnetic field. Directional awareness is most commonly observed in birds, which rely on their magnetic sense to navigate during migration. It has also been observed in insects such as bees. Cattle make use of magnetoception to align themselves in a north-south direction. Magnetotactic bacteria build miniature magnets inside themselves and use them to determine their orientation relative to the Earth's magnetic field.
Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer
SMILE will be equipped to simultaneously capture images and movies of the magnetopause, polar cusps, and aurora. Traditionally, satellites have taken local measurements of different regions to build up a global picture of the magnetosphere. However, a recent discovery that the magnetosphere emits X-rays will allow SMILE to capture more comprehensive data than previous missions did through the analysis of these X-rays.