Sun corona temperature in kelvin free#

The K-corona (K for kontinuierlich, 'continuous' in German) is created by sunlight scattering off free electrons Doppler broadening of the reflected photospheric absorption lines completely obscures them, giving the spectral appearance of a continuum with no absorption lines. Light from the corona comes from three primary sources, which are called by different names although all of them share the same volume of space. These high stages of ionisation indicate a plasma temperature in excess of 1,000,000 kelvin, much hotter than the surface of the sun. Bengt Edlén, following the work of Grotrian (1939), first identified the coronal lines in 1940 (observed since 1869) as transitions from low-lying metastable levels of the ground configuration of highly ionised metals (the green Fe-XIV line at 5303 Å, but also the red line Fe-X at 6374 Å). Instead, these spectral features have since been explained by highly ionized iron (Fe-XIV). The high temperature of the Sun's corona gives it unusual spectral features, which led some in the 19th century to suggest that it contained a previously unknown element, ' coronium'. The word 'corona' is a Latin word meaning 'crown', from the Ancient Greek κορώνη (korōnè, “garland, wreath”). The Sun's corona extends millions of kilometres into space and is most easily seen during a total solar eclipse, but it is also observable with a coronagraph. For other uses, see Corona (disambiguation).ĭuring a total solar eclipse, the solar corona can be seen by the naked eye.Ī corona (Latin, ' crown') is an aura of plasma that surrounds the sun and other celestial bodies. For the floral part (perianth), see Corona (perianth). This article is about the astronomical term.

Sun corona temperature in kelvin