photosphere
a sphere of light or radiance.
Astronomy. the luminous visible surface of the sun, being a shallow layer of strongly ionized gases.
Origin of photosphere
1Other words from photosphere
- pho·to·spher·ic [foh-tuh-sfer-ik, -sfeer-], /ˌfoʊ təˈsfɛr ɪk, -ˈsfɪər-/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for photosphere
/ (ˈfəʊtəʊˌsfɪə) /
the visible surface of the sun, several hundred kilometres thick
Derived forms of photosphere
- photospheric (ˌfəʊtəʊˈsfɛrɪk), adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for photosphere
[ fō′tə-sfîr′ ]
The lowest visible layer of a star, lying beneath the chromosphere and the corona. Stars are made entirely of gas and thus have no surface per se, but the gas beneath the photosphere is opaque, so the photosphere acts as their effective visible surface; it is also the boundary from which the Sun's diameter is measured. The Sun's photosphere is a very thin layer made up of numerous granules (transient convective cells) where hot gases rise and give off light and heat. The photosphere of the Sun has a temperature of around 6,000°K and is the region in which sunspot activity is located.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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