ASIM on the cover of Science

The scientific observations reveal that extremely energetic flashes of X-rays can be emitted from thunder clouds while illuminating a huge area of the lower ionosphere by UV radiation. The observations are based on measurements from the Danish-led ASIM mission on the International Space Station ISS.

Technical Prime

Terma is technically responsible for the observatory, while DTU Space is scientifically responsible for the ESA-led project. Both Terma and DTU Space have played crucial roles in the development of the advanced instruments included in the observatory.

The ASIM observatory was launched in 2018 and mounted on the International Space Station (ISS) to observe and measure powerful lightning phenomena in the Earth atmosphere. Terma was the prime contractor of ASIM and maintains the technical responsibility for the mission. 

Discoveries

An international research team headed by DTU Space at Technical University of Denmark together with scientists from Birkeland Centre for Space Science, Norway and University of Valencia, Spain has discovered that extremely energetic flashes of X-rays can be emitted from thunder clouds while illuminating a huge area of the lower ionosphere by UV radiation. The discoveries were announced at the American Geophysical Union's Earth and Space Science Annual Meeting in December 2019 and are now published in Science Magazine.

Science Magazine

The Washington D.C. based Science Magazine is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and one of the world's top academic journals with an estimated readership of 570,400 people. The major focus of the journal is publishing important original scientific research and research reviews. Papers are accepted from authors around the world. Competition to publish in Science is very intense. Fewer than 7% of articles submitted are accepted for publication.