IRIS Movie of the Day
At least once a week a movie of the Sun taken by NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) is posted by one of the scientists operating the instrument.
Micro-Flares: Small Solar Eruptions
Credit: IRIS, LMSAL/NASA, Jake Parker
Solar eruptions, flares, like these are the result of a rapid conversion of magnetic energy, stored in the Sun's magnetic field, into heat and motion. Small flares, while much less flashy than large flares, occur often and are observed by IRIS frequently. More observations like these provide data with which we can uncover the detailed nature of these spectacular solar events.