Sun

181-Solar-Corona
181-Solar-Corona
Solar Corona - as viewed during a total eclipse
383-Sun-anatomy-Cutaway
383-Sun-anatomy-Cutaway
Cutaway of the sun, showing core, radiative and convective zones, and corona - painting © by Don Dixon for Scientific American
460-solar-flare-diagram01

460-solar-flare-diagram01

diagram shows how electrons spiral along the sun's magnetic field lines ; digital, 2006

461-solar-flare

461-solar-flare

Solar magnetic fields snap and rejoin thousands of miles above the Sun's surface, releasing a burst of x-rays. Digital Artwork © 2007 Don Dixon / cosmographica.com

462-solar-flare-diagram02
462-solar-flare-diagram02
Infographic showing how solar flares are created by the breaking and reconnecting of solar magnetic field lines; for Scientific American, © Don Dixon