IRIS (NASA Satellite)

In pursuit of understanding why the Sun's atmosphere is so much hotter than the surface, and to help differentiate between a host of theories about what causes this heating, researchers turn to NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) mission. IRIS was finely tuned with a high-resolution imager to zoom in on specific hard-to-see events on the Sun. A paper published in Nature on Sept. 21, 2020, reports on the first ever clear images of nanojets — bright, thin lights that travel perpendicular to magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere called the corona — in a process that reveals the existence of one of the potential coronal heating candidates: nanoflares. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Scientist: Patrick Antolin (Northumbria University) Data Visualizer: Tom Bridgman (GST) Producer: Joy Ng (USRA) Writer: Susannah Darling (ADNET)

In pursuit of understanding why the Sun's atmosphere is so much hotter than the surface, and to help differentiate between a host of theories about what causes this heating, researchers turn to NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) mission. IRIS was finely tuned with a high-resolution imager to zoom in on specific hard-to-see events on the Sun. A paper published in Nature on Sept. 21, 2020, reports on the first ever clear images of nanojets — bright, thin lights that travel perpendicular to magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere called the corona — in a process that reveals the existence of one of the potential coronal heating candidates: nanoflares. Read more: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-s-iris-spots-nanojets-shining-light-on-heating-the-solar-corona Video credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio Scientist: Patrick Antolin (Northumbria University) Data Visualizer: Tom Bridgman (GST) Producer: Joy Ng (USRA) Writer: Susannah Darling (ADNET) This video is public domain and may be downloaded in HD formats from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio at: https://svsdev.gsfc.nasa.gov/13691

On June 27, 2013, NASA launched IRIS, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph. IRIS gives us our first detailed image of a layer of the sun’s atmosphere called the chromosphere. Boasting the highest temporal and spatial resolution to date, IRIS provides imagery and a special kind of data called spectra. In this video, we will look at IRIS data from a solar flare on March 11, 2015. An imaging spectrograph not only takes an image of the region of interest, but also has a small slit in the imager (seen as a dark line about half-way across the image) which passes a thin ribbon of light to a spectroscope. The spectroscope spreads the light out in its component frequencies or spectrum. Monitoring of specfic spectral lines provides additional information on the velocity (and therefore temperature) of plasma in the observed region. In the visualization presented here, the IRIS slit-jaw imager (SJI) takes images with two different filters, one at 1330 Angstroms (gold color table), the other at 1400 Angstroms (bronze color table), and these images are displayed overlaying corresponding imagery from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) 304 Angstrom filter (grayscale). The spectra, in this case a closeup view on the 1403 Angstrom line from 3-times ionized silicon (designated Si IV), is presented on a semi-transparent plane perpendicular to the images, at the position of the slit in the imager. This allows us to see correlations between features in the images and spectra. For example, some of the bright spots in the image correlate to wider regions along the line suggesting higher temperatures and/or velocities of the plasma emitting the spectral line. To better examine the region, the instrument also scans the slit over the region of interest, collecting multiple spectra. This allows scientists to compare and correlate structures seen in images with speeds and temperatures of the plasma. This video is public domain and can be downloaded at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?11897 Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA's Goddard Shorts HD podcast: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/iTunes/f0004_index.html Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard

NASA is planning a launch of an Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS satellite, to better observe the sun. The satellite is designed for close-up observations of the surface of the sun, but will only be able to see 1 percent of it at a time and resolve features just 150 miles (240 km) across the surface. The satellite, measuring 7 feet high (2.1 meters) and 12 feet across (3.7 meters), will orbit Earth in a polar, sun-synchronous path that will take it over the equator at the same local time each day. -------------------------------------------------------- TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world. For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS Stay connected with us here: Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Please watch: "Crying dog breaks the internet’s heart — but this sad dog story has a happy ending" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4prKTN9bYQc -~-~~-~~~-~~-~-

NASA has launched a satellite on a mission to examine a little-studied region of the sun that it hopes will improve space weather prediction. NASA has launched a satellite on a mission to examine a little-studied region of the sun that it hopes will improve space weather prediction. The Iris satellite rode into Earth orbit on a Pegasus rocket, which was air-launched over the Pacific Ocean on Thursday evening. The aeroplane carrying the rocket and satellite took off around sunset from Vandenberg Air Force Base along California's central coast. Mission controllers applauded when Iris separated from the rocket as planned, 13 minutes after launch. It will begin its two-year mission after a checkout period. Iris will focus on a region of the sun between the surface and the corona, the sun's outer atmosphere that is visible during eclipses. The goal is to learn more about how this mysterious region drives solar wind - a stream of charged particles spewing from the sun - and to better predict space weather that can disrupt communications signals on Earth. The mission will last two years and costs 182 million US dollars (£119 million). Get the latest headlines http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Subscribe to The Telegraph http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=telegraphtv Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/telegraph.co.uk Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/telegraph Follow us on Google+ https://plus.google.com/102891355072777008500/ Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Daily Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.

At the end of June 2013, NASA will launch its latest sun observing satellite, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph. IRIS will observe the interface region of the sun, the lowest level of our star's atmosphere.

NASA is getting ready to launch a new mission, a mission to observe a largely unexplored region of the solar atmosphere that powers its dynamic million-degree outer atmosphere and drives the solar wind. In late June 2013, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. IRIS will advance our understanding of the interface region, a region in the lower atmosphere of the sun where most of the sun's ultraviolet emissions are generated. Such emissions impact the near-Earth space environment and Earth's climate. The interface region lies between the sun's 11,000-degree Fahrenheit, white-hot, visible surface, the photosphere, and the much hotter multi-million-degree upper corona. Interactions between the violently moving plasma and the sun's magnetic field in this area may be the source of the energy that heats the corona to some hundreds and occasionally thousands of times hotter than the sun's surface. IRIS will orbit Earth and use its ultraviolet telescope to obtain high-resolution solar images and spectra. IRIS observations along with advanced computer models will deepen our understanding of how heat and energy move through the lower atmosphere of the sun and other sun-like stars. This video is public domain and can be downloaded at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?11256 Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA's Goddard Shorts HD podcast: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/iTunes/f0004_index.html Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard