The key to exploring planetary surfaces and atmospheres
Many of LASP’s spectrometers measure light energy across multiple wavelengths, including visible light. Our SIM instrument, used on NASA’s TSIS-1 and SORCE missions, measures the brightness of the entire Sun at both visible and near-infrared wavelengths
The newest version of this instrument, which is still deployed on the International Space Station, continues to record how sunlight is distributed by wavelength. Because light at different wavelengths is absorbed by different parts of the planet’s atmosphere and surface, these measurements are helping to determine how the Earth system responds to solar variability.