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On March 11, 2015, a solar flare erupted on the sun.
This burst of x-ray light was witnessed by IRIS, NASA's Interface
Region Imaging Spectrograph.
IRIS give us our first detailed image of a layer of the sun's atmosphere, call the chromosphere.
Boasting the highest temporal and spacial resolution to date, IRIS
provides imagery and a special kind of data call spectra.
In this composite, the spectra is shown vertically and the image horizontally.
To create the spectra, a spectrograph splits the light from a given point
on the sun into its discreet wavelengths.
This technique allows scientists to measure temperature, velocity, and density of the solar material
behind the slit. Thanks to IRIS, we can work to better understand
what causes these eruptions.
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