The Solar Corona

sun · plasma · space mystery

The Sun's halo. The solar corona is the outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere, visible as a beautiful glowing ring around the Sun during a total solar eclipse.

Hotter than expected. The corona is incredibly hot, reaching temperatures of millions of degrees, which is strange because the Sun's surface is only about 10,000 degrees. Scientists are still working to figure out why this outer layer is so much hotter.

Shaped by magnetism. The corona isn't smooth or shapeless. The Sun's powerful magnetic field structures it into loops, waves, and other patterns that scientists study to understand how the Sun works.

Made of plasma. The corona is filled with plasma, which is like a super-hot gas where atoms have lost their electrons. This plasma is very thin and spreads far out into space as the solar wind.

Only visible in eclipse. We can see the corona's delicate, wispy structure best during a total solar eclipse, when the Moon blocks the Sun's bright surface and reveals this glowing crown.