JAXA’s Hinode mission Image Solar Interface Region

This image from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Hinode mission shows the lower regions of the sun’s atmosphere, the interface region.

A new NASA mission called the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), will study in greater detail.

Where previous missions have been able to image material at only a few predetermined temperatures in this region, IRIS will observe a wide range of temperatures from 5,000 kelvins to 65,000 kelvins (8,540 F to 116,540 F), and up to 10 million kelvins (about 18 million F) during solar flares.

Its images will resolve structures down to 150 miles across. Image credit: JAXA/Hinode