Solar corona

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/solar-corona

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Solar corona?Coronagraph
2. What is the scientific name?Solar corona
3. What is the location?Outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere
4. Why is the solar corona hotter than the Sun's surface?Scientists believe magnetic activity heats the corona, either through waves that travel along magnetic lines or tiny, frequent flares, but the exact reason is still a mystery.
5. How do scientists study the solar corona?They use special telescopes called coronagraphs that block the Sun's bright light, and they also observe eclipses and analyze the light from the corona to learn about its composition.

Plasma: An ionized gas consisting of ions and free electrons, exhibiting collective behavior.
Magnetic Reconnection: A fundamental plasma process where magnetic field lines break and reconfigure, releasing stored magnetic energy.
Solar Wind: A continuous stream of charged particles released from the Sun's corona into the heliosphere.
Coronal Mass Ejection (CME): A large-scale expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun's corona into space.