IRIS logo should be here.

Overview
The primary goal of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) explorer is to understand how the solar atmosphere is energized. The IRIS investigation combines advanced numerical modeling with a high resolution UV imaging spectrograph.

IRIS will obtain UV spectra and images with high resolution in space (0.33-0.4 arcsec) and time (1-2s) focused on the chromosphere and transition region of the Sun, a complex interface region between the photosphere and corona. In this region, all but a few percent of the non-radiative energy leaving the Sun is converted into heat and radiation. Here, magnetic field and plasma exert comparable forces, resulting in a dynamic region whose understanding remains a challenge.

IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance Sun-Earth connection studies by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through this foundation of the corona and heliosphere.





IRIS logo should be here.