Stellar atmosphere

Photo taken in France during the 1999 solar eclipse

The stellar atmosphere is the outer region of a star. It is found above the convection zone.

Structure

The stellar atmosphere is divided into several layers:

  • The photosphere is the lowest and coolest layer of the stellar atmosphere.[1] The Sun's photosphere has a temperature of 5,770 K to 5,780 K.[1]
  • The chromosphere is the next layer after the photosphere. The chromosphere is above the photosphere. Its about 10 times the temperature of the photosphere.
  • The transition region is the next layer after the chromosphere. It is hotter than the chromosphere.[2]
  • The outermost part of the stellar atmosphere is the corona. It has a temperature of 1,000,000 K.[3] It seems that only some giant stars, and very few supergiant stars, have a corona.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 ""Beyond the Blue Horizon" -- A Total Solar Eclipse Chase". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  2. ↑ Mariska, John T. (1992). The solar transition region. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-38261-0. OCLC 25317631.
  3. ↑ Altrock, Richard C. (2004). "The Temperature of the Low Corona During Solar Cycles 21–23". Solar Physics. 224 (1–2): 255–268. Bibcode:2004SoPh..224..255A. doi:10.1007/s11207-005-6502-4. ISSN 0038-0938. S2CID 121468084.
  4. ↑ "Science". imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-23.