photosphere

photosphere, luminous, apparently opaque layer of gases that forms the visible surface of the sun or any other star. The photosphere lies between the dense interior gases and the more attenuated gases of the chromosphere . The incandescent gases of the photosphere, estimated to be at temperatures near 6,000°K, are so much brighter than the other layers of the sun that they seem to form a surface. These gases are in a constant state of agitation due to convection currents that reach down to 150,000 mi (241,000 km) below the photosphere. Differences in the density of the gases result in a grainy appearance of the photosphere the small bright patches, or granules, are several hundred miles in diameter and are constantly shifting. Another feature of the photosphere, observed only near the sun's edge, is the appearance near sunspots of bright, veinlike regions known as faculae.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Astronomy: General