Stellar 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/stellar-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. What is the primary energy source?Magnetic energy, converted through processes like wave dissipation or magnetic reconnection
2. What is the Sun's corona?The corona is the Sun's outermost atmosphere, a glowing crown of hot plasma that looks like a halo around the Sun. It is made of ionized gas and is much hotter than the Sun's surface.
3. Why is the corona hotter than the Sun's surface?Scientists think the Sun's magnetic field turns its energy into heat, making the corona millions of degrees Celsius, far hotter than the 5,500‑degree surface. The exact way this happens is still a mystery.

Plasma: A superheated, ionized gas consisting of free-moving electrons and ions.
Alfvén Waves: Waves that propagate through magnetized plasma, thought to transport energy into the corona.
Magnetic Reconnection: A process where magnetic field lines break and reconfigure, releasing stored magnetic energy.