The visible surface of the Sun, the photosphere, is the layer below which the Sun becomes opaque to visible light. [77] Photons produced in this layer escape the Sun through the transparent solar atmosphere above it and become solar radiation, sunlight.

Feb 13, 2025 · The part of the Sun we call its surface – the photosphere – is a relatively cool 10,000 °F (5,500 °C). In one of the Sun’s biggest mysteries, the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, gets hotter the farther it stretches from the surface.

Solar Atmosphere Surface Gas Pressure (top of photosphere): 0.868 mb Pressure at bottom of photosphere (optical depth = 1): 125 mb Effective temperature: 5772 K Temperature at top of photosphere: 4400 K Temperature at bottom of photosphere: 6600 K Temperature at top of chromosphere: ~30,000 K Photosphere thickness: ~500 km Chromosphere thickness: ~2500 …

The surface of the Sun is called the photosphere, a term which means “sphere of light.” The glowing ball of light that you see in the sky is the photosphere. The surface of the Sun is the only part that we can see from Earth on a typical day, without use of specialized equipment.

Feb 3, 2025 · The Sun's gravity holds the solar system together, keeping everything – from the biggest planets to the smallest particles of debris – in its orbit. The connection and interactions between the Sun and Earth drive the seasons, ocean …

Feb 3, 2024 · The four layers of the Sun are the core, radiative zone, convective zone, and atmosphere. The Sun is a colossal nuclear reactor at the heart of our solar system. Our favorite star is about 109 times the diameter of Earth and over 330,000 times its mass.

The part of the Sun we call its surface – the photosphere – is a relatively cool 10,000 °F (5,500 °C). In one of the Sun’s biggest mysteries, the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, gets hotter the farther it stretches from the surface.

However, while it may look smooth to us, close-up images of the Sun reveal its intricate structure, turbulent surface, and lots of interesting features that occur periodically. You might have wondered what those flares, spots, and other features …

Jan 14, 2025 · The photosphere is the visible surface of the Sun that we are most familiar with. Since the Sun is a ball of gas, this is not a solid surface but is actually a layer about 100 km thick (very, very, thin compared to the 700,000 km radius of the Sun).

Sep 26, 2019 · The surface of the Sun, called the photosphere, is at a temperature of about 5800 K. Sunspots are "cool" regions, only 3800 K (they look dark only by comparison with the surrounding regions). Sunspots can be very large, as much as 50,000 km in diameter.