Solar irradiance variability – comparison of models and observations Original Research Article

Over the past decade, regular measurement programs for parts of the solar spectrum have been established. In recent years substantial progress has also been made on the physical understanding of these measurements. To refine our understanding and to make quantitative estimates of this variability requires a study of the entire solar spectrum. Our approach to this requirement is to combine empirical image analysis with the theory for emission, absorption, and transfer of radiation in the solar atmosphere. The goal is the successful combination of observed solar images with semi-empirical models and theory for calculation of a mixed line + continuum spectrum emitted from realistic representations of the observed solar disk. We present the latest results from the SunRISE spectral synthesis model in specific spectral bands in the UV, visible, and near-IR, and compare them to related observations.