The third layer of the sun's atmosphere is the corona. Like the chromosphere, the sun's corona can only be seen during a total solar eclipse (or with NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory).

The photosphere is the lowest layer of the sun's atmosphere, and emits the light we see. It is about 300 miles (500 km) thick, although most of the light comes from its lowest third.

The sun is composed of the five different layers seen in this image. A region of subsurface flow separates the core from the sun’s outer shell, the photosphere.

The near-surface layers of the sun comprise countless small and large loops of magnetic flux, looking something like the field lines connecting the poles of a bar magnet.

Sun's next-door twin: Cool layer in the atmosphere of Alpha Centauri A. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 9, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2013 / 02 / 130220092410.htm. European Space Agency.

This is the sun's outer layer, which accounts for everything beyond 70% of the inner solar radius (or from the surface to approx. 200,000 km below).

The Sun looks the same to everyone on Earth: bright and yellow. But using special instruments designed to filter UV light, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center can generate these incredible STEREO ...