photosphere

[ foh-tuh-sfeer ]

/ ˈfoʊ təˌsfɪər /

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noun

a sphere of light or radiance.

Astronomy. the luminous visible surface of the sun, being a shallow layer of strongly ionized gases.

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Origin of photosphere

First recorded in 1655–65; photo- + -sphere

OTHER WORDS FROM photosphere

pho·to·spher·ic

[foh-tuh-sfer-ik, -sfeer-], /ˌfoʊ təˈsfɛr ɪk, -ˈsfɪər-/, adjective

Words nearby photosphere

photosensor, photoset, photosetting, photoshoot, Photoshop, photosphere, photo spread, photostat, photo story, photosynthate, photosynthesis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use photosphere in a sentence

In this context, the sun’s “surface” refers to its photosphere, from which most of the sun’s photons are emitted, Grossman says.
Readers ask about the sun’s surface, landscaping Neandertals and more|Science News Staff|March 6, 2022|Science News
Below the photosphere lies the vast unknown mass of the unseen solar realm.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
The dazzling surface of this globe is called a photosphere (light sphere).
Astronomy for Amateurs|Camille Flammarion
The part of the Sun that we see is its luminous surface, or photosphere.
Astronomy for Amateurs|Camille Flammarion

Her hopes mingled with the sunshine in an ideal photosphere which surrounded her as she bounded along against the soft south wind.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles|Thomas Hardy
In the case of the sun this cloud layer is always present and is that part which we have learned to call the photosphere.
A Text-Book of Astronomy|George C. Comstock

British Dictionary definitions for photosphere

photosphere

/ (ˈfəʊtəʊˌsfɪə) /

noun

the visible surface of the sun, several hundred kilometres thick

Derived forms of photosphere

photospheric (ˌfəʊtəʊˈsfɛrɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for photosphere

photosphere

[ fō′tə-sfîr′ ]

The lowest visible layer of a star, lying beneath the chromosphere and the corona. Stars are made entirely of gas and thus have no surface per se, but the gas beneath the photosphere is opaque, so the photosphere acts as their effective visible surface; it is also the boundary from which the Sun's diameter is measured. The Sun's photosphere is a very thin layer made up of numerous granules (transient convective cells) where hot gases rise and give off light and heat. The photosphere of the Sun has a temperature of around 6,000°K and is the region in which sunspot activity is located.