
What gives the chromosphere its name?
Aug 11, 2014 · The chromosphere is an irregular layer above the photosphere where the temperature rises from 6000°C to about 20,000°C. At these higher temperatures hydrogen emits light that gives off a reddish color (H-alpha emission). This colorful emission can be seen in prominences that project above the limb of the sun during total solar eclipses.
What layer of the Sun is chromosphere?
The chromosphere is mainly made of hydrogen and helium plasma, which is ionized to produce red visible light, as seen during an eclipse.
What is the temperature of the chromosphere?
Why does the chromosphere shine so brightly in the color red? Composed mostly of hydrogen, under these temperature conditions, the most common way that hydrogen gases shine is through the emission of a particular spectral line called hydrogen-alpha or Ha at a wavelength of 656.3 nanometers (6563 Angstroms).
How thick is the chromosphere?
The chromosphere is mainly made of hydrogen and helium plasma, which is ionized to produce red visible light, as seen during an eclipse.

What is the chromosphere made up of?
The chromosphere is mainly made of hydrogen and helium plasma, which is ionized to produce red visible light, as seen during an eclipse.Apr 24, 2016
What is the chromosphere layer of the Sun made of?
Observations made during eclipses show that the chromosphere is about 2000 to 3000 kilometers thick, and its spectrum consists of bright emission lines, indicating that this layer is composed of hot gases emitting light at discrete wavelengths.
What are the characteristics of the chromosphere?
The chromosphere is an irregular layer above the photosphere where the temperature rises from 6000°C to about 20,000°C. At these higher temperatures hydrogen emits light that gives off a reddish color (H-alpha emission).Aug 11, 2014
What is the chromosphere of the earth?
The chromosphere ("sphere of color") is the second of the three main layers in the Sun's atmosphere and is roughly 3,000 to 5,000 kilometers deep. Its rosy red color is only apparent during eclipses. The chromosphere sits just above the photosphere and below the solar transition region.
What happens in chromosphere?
The layer above the photosphere is the chromosphere. The chromosphere emits a reddish glow as super-heated hydrogen burns off. But the red rim can only be seen during a total solar eclipse. At other times, light from the chromosphere is usually too weak to be seen against the brighter photosphere.Nov 1, 2017
Where is the chromosphere?
the SunChromosphere - The chromosphere is a layer in the Sun between about 250 miles (400 km) and 1300 miles (2100 km) above the solar surface (the photosphere).Oct 10, 2012
Is the chromosphere heated by the corona?
In the chromosphere, almost all the mechanical energy flux supplied to the outer solar atmosphere by magneto-convection is converted into heat and radiation, leaving a small amount to power the solar wind and the hot corona: the chromosphere requires over 30 times more energy than the corona and heliosphere combined.
What is photosphere and chromosphere?
The photosphere is the Sun's outer shell from which light is radiated. It has a surface temperature of about 6,000K. The chromosphere is above the photosphere. I is a low density layer which is about 2,000km thick. It is called chromosphere because it has a red to pink colour.Apr 14, 2016
What is temperature of chromosphere?
the chromosphere is the innermost atmospheric layer. It is just above the photosphere. Here the temperature begins to rise again, to about 36,000 degrees F. Above the chromosphere is the transistion layer, where temperatures increase 6000 to over half-a-million degrees.
Where is the chromosphere of the Sun quizlet?
Where is the chromosphere on the Sun? It is the layer above the visible surface of the Sun.
Why chromosphere is red?
The chromosphere appears red because of the large amount of hydrogen present. You can see this red color at the very edge of the Sun during a total solar eclipse. The most visible and impressive features of the chromosphere include filaments and prominences.
What is another name for the chromosphere?
photosphereFind another word for chromosphere. In this page you can discover 5 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for chromosphere, like: photosphere, solar-corona, outer-atmosphere, mesosphere and aurorae.
Why is the chromosphere red?
The chromosphere appears red because of the large amount of hydrogen present. You can see this red color at the very edge of the Sun during a total solar eclipse. The most visible and impressive features of the chromosphere include filaments and prominences.
Why is the chromosphere pink?
The chromosphere represents the dynamic transition between the cool temperature minimum of the outer photosphere and the diffuse million-degree corona above. It derives its name and pink colour from the red Hα line of hydrogen at 6562.8 angstroms (Å); 1 Å = 10−10 metre.
What is the corona of the Sun made of?
plasmacorona, outermost region of the Sun's atmosphere, consisting of plasma (hot ionized gas). It has a temperature of approximately two million kelvins and an extremely low density. The corona continually varies in size and shape as it is affected by the Sun's magnetic field.
What layer of the Sun's atmosphere is above the chromosphere?
Above the chromosphere is the transistion layer, where temperatures increase 6000 to over half-a-million degrees. Gases in this layer shine in the ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet wavelengths. The outermost atmospheric layer is the corona, which gets really hot, almost 2,000,000 degrees F.
What is the chromosphere?
Above the photosphere and extending about 5,000 km above its turbulent surface, we find a region of the solar atmosphere called the chromosphere. It is only seen during total solar eclipses, or with sophisticated telescopes, and its red and pinkish color gives the blackened moon a thin halo of color against the greyish corona further out, ...
What is the density of the chromosphere?
Physically, the chromosphere begins near the surface of the photosphere with a temperature near 4700 Celsius and a density of 10 17 particles/cm 3 (2x10 -4 kg/m 3 ), and at its highest level reaches a temperature near 25,000 Celsius and a lower density of 1010 particles/cm 3 (2x10 -11 kg/m 3 ). But rather than being just a homogenous shell ...
What is the most common feature of the Sun?
Normally, the brilliant surface of the sun, called the photosphere, is the most common feature we see, and even so its brightness masks many other important regions of the sun from easy view. But once you filter out the light from the photosphere, all other fainter regions vanish completely. Only during a total solar eclipse do we have ...
What is the yellow line in the Sun?
The most intense line is to the far-right from Ha and the yellow line is produced by the second most abundant solar gas, helium, first discovered in the sun in the 1800s. The intensity of the light along each curved line follows the curve of the limb of the sun that remains exposed by the moon.
What is the wavelength of hydrogen?
Composed mostly of hydrogen, under these temperature conditions, the most common way that hydrogen gases shine is through the emission of a particular spectral line called hydrogen-alpha or Ha at a wavelength of 656.3 nanometers (6563 Angstroms).
How long do spicules last?
They were discovered in 1877 by Father Angelo Secchi of the Observatory of Roman Collegium in Rome. They last for about 15 minutes and carry about 100 times the mass density per second as the solar wind.
What is the color of the chromosphere?
Although only visible during a solar eclipse, the chromosphere is red in color. In fact, the chromosphere was originally named as such due to the red color. Chromo means color, and sphere refers to it as a circular layer around the sun. The ionized hydrogen gas emits energy that can be seen as red visible light on Earth.
How thick is the chromosphere?
It stretches from about 250 miles from the sun's surface to 1,300 miles upward, making the chromosphere 1,050 miles thick. To get an idea of the scale of this distance, picture driving from San Diego to Seattle up the California Coast.
What is the year 3050?
The year is 3050; you're an astronaut on a space exploration off to study the stars and look for life on other planets. As you zoom past the sun , solar winds made of charged atoms fly around your ship. You see solar flares - huge spikes of flames extending out from the surface of the sun, emitting dangerous amounts of radiation.
When was helium first discovered?
The other gas composing the chromosphere, helium, was first discovered on the sun. In 1868, the British astronomer J. Norman Lockyer, first proposed the existence of this new element. It wasn't until 1895 that the element was isolated in a lab on Earth and Lockyer's results were validated. Spicules.
What is the outer layer of the Sun made of?
The outer layers of the sun, like the chromosphere, are made of mostly hydrogen, and some helium gas in the form of plasma. Although only visible during a solar eclipse, the chromosphere is red in color.
How does the Sun get hotter?
The inner layers of the sun increase in temperature as you move closer to the sun's core. However, the atmosphere of the sun gets hotter as you move from the chromosphere of the sun to the outer layer of the atmosphere, the corona. The chromosphere is the coolest where it begins at 250 miles from the surface of the sun, ...
How fast do spicules travel?
Spicules travel quite fast, starting from the lower chromosphere. Traveling at about 12 miles per second, they reach the corona within 10 to 15 minutes and then collapse.
What is the chromosphere?
The chromosphere represents the dynamic transition between the cool temperature minimum of the outer photosphere and the diffuse million-degree corona above . It derives its name and pink colour from the red Hα line of hydrogen at 6562.8 angstroms (Å); 1 Å = 10 −10 metre.…
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. ...
What is the chromosphere?
Chromosphere. The chromosphere is a structure composed of warm gas that is above the visible surface of the sun and most stars , which is called photosphere. It is transparent in visible light but bright and opaque in strong lines of elements such as hydrogen, helium, calcium and oxygen.
How thick is the chromosphere?
It is about 6,000 miles thick. It is composed of hydrogen which is the reason why it has a visible pink tint and amounts of sodium, helium, iron and calcium. It has three layers that decrease in density and increase in temperature moving outward from the surface of the sun. The lower chromosphere is 10,800°F or 6,000 °C.
What is the temperature of the chromosphere?
The lower chromosphere is 10,800°F or 6,000 °C. The middle part has a higher temperature of 90,000°F or 50,000°C while upper layer that is close to the lower corona is as high as 1,800,000°F or 1,000,000°C.
How long does a solar flare last?
It also has prominences which are streams of hot gas. They bulge out from the surface that can last for days or even weeks.
