chromosphere

noun

chro·mo·sphere ˈkrō-mə-ˌsfir

: the region of the atmosphere of a star (such as the sun) between the star's photosphere and its corona

chromospheric

ˌkrō-mə-ˈsfir-ik

-ˈsfer-

adjective

Examples of chromosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The 4 to 5 percent that will remain visible is part of the chromosphere, or its lower atmosphere. —

Ramin Skibba, WIRED, 13 Oct. 2023 Four payloads for studying the sun will gaze at the star’s photosphere, its layer visible to us; the chromosphere, a thin layer of plasma on top of the photosphere; and the corona, the outermost layer of the sun that starts about 1,300 miles above the photosphere. —

Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Sep. 2023 Rising within the chromosphere, the relative force of the superheated plasma lessens quickly, but the magnetic fields stay relatively strong. —

Chris Wright, Wired, 15 Mar. 2021 When viewed during a total solar eclipse, the red rim of the chromosphere is just visible to the naked eye. —

Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2017 Many of these structures are visible in the chromosphere and corona, the outermost layers of the Sun's atmosphere. —

Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2014 The telescope captured several new pictures of the Sun’s surface back in August, with the fiery chromosphere the main focus of them all. —

Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 18 Nov. 2022 Mysteriously, the corona is much hotter than the photosphere and chromosphere layers immediately below it. —

Brian T. Jacobs, National Geographic, 24 Aug. 2021 The situation in the sun’s chromosphere would be orders of magnitude more difficult. —

Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 22 Feb. 2012 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chromosphere.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

chromo- + sphere entry 1

Note: Term introduced by the English astronomer J. Norman Lockyer (1836-1920) in "Spectroscopic Observations of the Sun. No. II…Read November 19 and 26, 1868," Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, vol. 159 for the year 1869, p. 430.

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of chromosphere was in 1868

See more words from the same year