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

This allows the researchers to separately image the photosphere, chromosphere, interface region, and corona. Because the spectrograph is fast, IRIS can combine big images with very fine spectra of every 240-km-wide slice of the scene. —IEEE Spectrum, 12 Dec. 2013

The type of emission studied originated in a layer of the sun called the chromosphere—a region which was visible to people in the U.S. during the total solar eclipse of April 2024. —Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025

Studying the sun’s photosphere and chromosphere will allow researchers to examine how plasma flows and shifting magnetic fields interact to trigger surface eruptions. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 24 Apr. 2025

This image shows the pink layer of the sun's chromosphere around the dark disk of the moon during totality. —Space.com Staff, Space.com, 1 Jan. 2025

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

Rhymes for chromosphere

• atmosphere
• biosphere
• centromere
• chemosphere
• hemisphere
• hydrosphere
• lithosphere
• mesosphere
• microsphere
• miserere
• mountaineer
• photosphere

Kids Definition

chromosphere

noun

chro·​mo·​sphere ˈkrō-mə-ˌsfi(ə)r 

: the part of the atmosphere of the sun or a star between the photosphere and corona