description IRIS (Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph) Overview
IRIS is a NASA small explorer spacecraft launched on June 27, 2013, from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Pegasus XL rocket, designed to observe the Sun's chromosphere and transition region at ultraviolet wavelengths. Built by Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory and operating in Sun-synchronous orbit, its imaging spectrograph observes how solar material moves and gathers energy as it passes from the photosphere into the corona. The mission's instruments provide observations of solar flares and other phenomena, supporting research into coronal heating and energy transfer in the solar atmosphere.
help IRIS (Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph) FAQ
What part of the Sun does IRIS observe?
IRIS studies the chromosphere and transition region between the visible solar surface and the much hotter corona. These layers are central to understanding how energy and material move through the solar atmosphere.
Why does IRIS observe ultraviolet light instead of ordinary visible light?
Hot plasma in the Sun's interface region emits diagnostic spectral lines in near- and far-ultraviolet wavelengths. IRIS separates those wavelengths with an imaging spectrograph, allowing scientists to measure motion, temperature, and density.
Is IRIS a telescope in Earth orbit or a probe near the Sun?
IRIS is an Earth-orbiting solar observatory, not a spacecraft flying close to the Sun. It follows a polar, Sun-synchronous orbit roughly 620 to 670 kilometers above Earth.
How does IRIS complement SDO and Hinode?
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory provides broad, continuous views of the Sun, while the NASA-JAXA Hinode mission carries complementary solar instruments. IRIS concentrates on high-resolution ultraviolet spectra and images of the narrow interface region linking the surface to the corona.
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