Which layer of the Sun is visible during a total solar eclipse?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer:
Corona
Explanation:
During a total solar eclipse, when the moon completely blocks the bright face of the sun (the photosphere), the sun's outer atmosphere, known as the corona, becomes clearly visible to the naked eye. The corona appears as a pearly-white, glowing halo of plasma streaming out into space around the darkened disk of the moon. It can normally only be seen during totality because its light is millions of times fainter than the photosphere beneath it.
Key Points:
The corona is the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, extending millions of kilometers into space.
Temperatures in the corona are exceptionally high, reaching up to millions of degrees Celsius, which is significantly hotter than the visible surface of the sun.
Special instruments called coronagraphs are used by scientists to study the corona outside of a total solar eclipse.
Important Questions and Answers:
Question: What is the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere called?
Answer: The corona.
Question: Why is the corona normally not visible on a regular sunny day?
Answer: Because its faint light is completely overwhelmed by the intense brightness of the sun's photosphere.