Knowra Chromosphere Chromosphere The chromosphere is a star’s atmospheric layer above the photosphere, generally marked by temperature rising outward. In the Sun, hydrogen emission makes it appear reddish during a total solar eclipse.
Solar transition region : A thin atmospheric layer between the solar chromosphere and corona, where temperature rises sharply. It marks the abrupt change from chromospheric temperatures to the corona’s million-degree plasma.
Solar photosphere : The visible surface of the Sun, where most of its visible light escapes. The chromosphere lies immediately above this visible layer.
Solar eclipse : An astronomical event in which the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, obscuring all or part of the Sun. Totality briefly suppresses photospheric glare, revealing the chromosphere’s red rim.
Stellar photosphere : The visible layer of a star from which most of its observed light emerges. Unlike the photosphere, the chromosphere is a tenuous layer above the visible surface.
Spicules : Narrow, short-lived jets of plasma that rise from the Sun’s chromosphere into the lower corona. These jets carry mass and energy upward from the chromosphere.
Solar corona : The Sun’s vast outer atmosphere, extending millions of kilometres into space and reaching very high temperatures. The corona begins above the chromosphere, with the transition region between them.
Solar spectroscopy : The analysis of sunlight by separating it into wavelengths to study the Sun’s composition and physical conditions. Spectral lines reveal chromospheric temperature, motion, and chemical composition.
Stellar corona : The outer atmosphere of a star, often much hotter than its visible surface. The corona lies above the chromosphere and is hotter by orders of magnitude.
Plage : Bright chromospheric regions associated with concentrated magnetic fields, commonly found near sunspots. Plage shows how magnetic concentrations alter chromospheric brightness.
Solar atmosphere : The gaseous outer layers of the Sun, including the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona. The chromosphere is one of the Sun’s principal atmospheric layers.
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