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You are here: Home / Space / What Does the Sun’s Corona Look Like an Why Is the Sun’s Corona Only Seen During a Solar Eclipse?

What Does the Sun’s Corona Look Like an Why Is the Sun’s Corona Only Seen During a Solar Eclipse?

June 29, 2020 by Karen Hill

The Sun’s corona, or outer layer of atmosphere, can only be seen during a solar eclipse.

At other times, the brightness of the Sun makes the corona disappear from sight, just as the Sun’s light makes it impossible to see stars in the daytime.

Astronomers artificially block the Sun’s surface with special equipment, so as not to damage their eyes, in order to study the corona.

The corona can extend more than 1 million miles (1.609 million km) around the Sun.

Its shape changes with the appearance of sunspots.

When the sunspots are at the height of their cycle, the corona is almost circular.

At the end of the sunspot cycle, the corona appears stretched out, with huge streams of gases coming out.

The corona is always thinnest at the Sun’s northern and southern magnetic poles.

Related Facts

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  • How Did Yi Save the World In Ancient Chinese Mythology and Why Were There Ten Suns?
  • Are Sunspots Permanent and Why Do Sunspots Appear To Travel Horizontally Across the Surface of the Sun?
  • What Causes Sunspots?
  • What Are Solar Flares, What Causes Solar Flares, and How Do Solar Flares Affect Life On Earth?
  • Who Invented the First Car and Where Did Cars Come From?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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