SUN's TEMPERATURE.
At the core of the sun, gravitational attraction produces immense pressure and
temperature, which can reach more than 27
million degrees F (15 million degrees C). The temperature in the
photosphere is about 10,000 degrees F
(5,500 degrees C). It is here that the sun's radiation is detected as
sunlight. Sunspots on the photosphere are cooler and darker than the
surrounding area. At the center of big sunspots the temperature can be as low
as 7,300 degrees F (4,000 degrees C).
The chromosphere, the next layer of the sun's atmosphere is a bit cooler — about 7,800 degrees F (4,320 degrees C). Visible light from the chromosphere is usually too weak to be seen against the brighter photosphere, but during total solar eclipses, when the moon covers the photosphere, the chromosphere can be seen as a red rim around the sun.
Temperatures rise dramatically in the corona, which can also only be seen during an eclipse as plasma streams outward like points on a crown. The corona can get about 3.5 million degrees F (2 million degrees C). As the corona cools, losing heat and radiation, matter is blown off as the solar wind.
The chromosphere, the next layer of the sun's atmosphere is a bit cooler — about 7,800 degrees F (4,320 degrees C). Visible light from the chromosphere is usually too weak to be seen against the brighter photosphere, but during total solar eclipses, when the moon covers the photosphere, the chromosphere can be seen as a red rim around the sun.
Temperatures rise dramatically in the corona, which can also only be seen during an eclipse as plasma streams outward like points on a crown. The corona can get about 3.5 million degrees F (2 million degrees C). As the corona cools, losing heat and radiation, matter is blown off as the solar wind.
