Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Experiment (SEE)

Fact Sheet (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader )

Instrument Web Site

SEE is comprised of a spectrometer and a suite of photometers designed to measure solar ultraviolet radiation Ð the primary energy that's deposited into the MLTI atmospheric region. Examples of solar ultraviolet radiation that SEE are focusing on are solar soft X-rays (which contain less energy than a traditional X-ray you would get in a doctor's office), extreme-ultraviolet, and far-ultraviolet radiation.

The primary objectives of the SEE instrument are to study the solar ultraviolet irradiance - how much it varies and how it affects the atmosphere; how much it heats the atmosphere and changes its composition; and to understand and establish an index of the solar variabilities so scientists can understand the solar ultraviolet changes occurring in this region, even after the TIMED mission is over.

SEE is observing the sun about three minutes per orbit while the sun is in full view. When possible, it will view the sunset through the atmosphere, which will help scientists determine the atmosphere's density. Data collected from SEE's observations of the sun will show where the solar energy, or radiation, is coming from as a function of wavelength and how each wavelength varies with time.