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How does the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, compare in temperature to the layers below it?

The corona is much hotter than the layers just beneath it.

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  1. Much hotter ✔
  2. Much colder
  3. About the same

Why: You might expect it to cool off farther from the core, but the corona is far hotter than the visible surface. It is so hot that the Sun's gravity cannot hold onto it, and material streams away as the solar wind.

Huh, didn't know that: Scientists are still studying exactly why the corona gets so hot.

The dad joke
The Sun's corona is so hot, even its hat needs sunscreen.
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References

Answer: Much hotter. You might expect it to cool off farther from the core, but the corona is far hotter than the visible surface. It is so hot that the Sun's gravity cannot hold onto it, and material streams away as the solar wind.

  1. NASA Science, Sun Facts science.nasa.gov/sun/facts
    the corona is much hotter than the layers immediately below it.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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