Seeing the Waves that Make the Sun's Corona So Hot

Seeing the Waves that Make the Sun's Corona So Hot

If you happen to be enjoying a sunny day, thank the bright surface of the Sun, known as the photosphere. At a piping hot temperature of about 5,800 K, the photosphere provides nearly all the sunlight Earth receives. But for all its glorious radiance, the photosphere isn't the hottest part of the Sun. That award goes to the diffuse outer atmosphere of the Sun known as the corona, which has a temperature of more than a million Kelvin. Parts of the…

If you enjoy a sunny day, thank the bright surface of the sun, known as the Photosphere. At a hot pipe temperature of about 5,800 K, the Photosphere provides almost all the sunlight. But despite all its glorious brightness, the photosphere is not the warmest part of the sun. [...]