The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

TLDR

The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) delivers high‑resolution full‑disk EUV images of the solar corona and transition region up to 0.5 R⊙ with 1.5‑arcsec spatial and 12‑second temporal resolution, using four normal‑incidence telescopes that provide seven narrow‑band EUV passbands and a UV/visible channel for coalignment. AIA aims to deepen our understanding of solar variability mechanisms and the processes by which the Sun stores and releases energy into the heliosphere and geospace. Its temperature diagnostics cover 6 × 10⁴ K to 2 × 10⁷ K, and it was launched as part of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on 11 February 2010.

Abstract

The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) provides multiple simultaneous high-resolution full-disk images of the corona and transition region up to 0.5 R ⊙ above the solar limb with 1.5-arcsec spatial resolution and 12-second temporal resolution. The AIA consists of four telescopes that employ normal-incidence, multilayer-coated optics to provide narrow-band imaging of seven extreme ultraviolet (EUV) band passes centered on specific lines: Fe xviii (94 Å), Fe viii, xxi (131 Å), Fe ix (171 Å), Fe xii, xxiv (193 Å), Fe xiv (211 Å), He ii (304 Å), and Fe xvi (335 Å). One telescope observes C iv (near 1600 Å) and the nearby continuum (1700 Å) and has a filter that observes in the visible to enable coalignment with images from other telescopes. The temperature diagnostics of the EUV emissions cover the range from 6×104 K to 2×107 K. The AIA was launched as a part of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission on 11 February 2010. AIA will advance our understanding of the mechanisms of solar variability and of how the Sun's energy is stored and released into the heliosphere and geospace.