Solar physics
The Coronal Heating Problem
One of the central open questions in solar physics: why the corona, at a million or more kelvin, is hundreds of times hotter than the photosphere below it. Leading candidate mechanisms include heating by many tiny reconnection events (nanoflares) and by magnetic waves; missions such as Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter are testing them. No single answer is yet established.
Highlights
- ›Why is the corona hotter than the surface? Still open
The Sun, its layers & phenomena
Across solar physics
Knowledge connections
- Associated withThe Transition Region
- Associated withThe Solar Corona
- Associated withCoronal Loop
- Associated withThe Sun
- Associated withThe Solar Corona
- Associated withNanoflare Heating
- Associated withParker Solar Probe
- Associated withSolar Orbiter
- Associated withNanoflare Heating
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.