photosphere
noun
pho·to·sphere ˈfō-tə-ˌsfir 
1
: a sphere of light or radiance
2
: the luminous surface layer of the sun or a star
photospheric
ˌfō-tə-ˈsfir-ik
adjective -ˈsfer-
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The piece of Betelgeuse’s photosphere, which weighed several times as much as the moon, was released into space. 
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 12 Aug. 2022 The shocks and pulsations blasted off a chunk of the photosphere, leaving a cool surface area under a cloud of dust. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 12 Aug. 2022 The resulting shocks and pulsations were powerful enough to produce an SME, blasting a massive chunk of the star's photosphere into space. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 12 Aug. 2022 These are where large, beautiful plasma loops — commonly seen as solar prominences — extend far away from the Sun’s photosphere and can even enter the Sun’s corona. Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 8 June 2021 At its peak, the photosphere was moving at around 7 kilometers per second, reversing the outward push as the dimming of the star became more dramatic. Jennifer Ouellette, Wired, 18 June 2021 The findings last year showed that an outer layer of the star, called the photosphere, had begun unevenly accelerating outward right before Betelgeuse began to dim. Jennifer Ouellette, Wired, 18 June 2021 Coronal mass ejections are the largest, connecting the photosphere to the corona, where reconnection can cause an enormous release of energy. Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 8 June 2021 That friendly yellow photosphere boils like oatmeal and is pocked with dark magnetic storms (the infamous sunspots) that crackle, whirl and lash space with showers of electrical particles and radiation. New York Times, 28 May 2021 See More
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 12 Aug. 2022 The shocks and pulsations blasted off a chunk of the photosphere, leaving a cool surface area under a cloud of dust. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 12 Aug. 2022 The resulting shocks and pulsations were powerful enough to produce an SME, blasting a massive chunk of the star's photosphere into space. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 12 Aug. 2022 These are where large, beautiful plasma loops — commonly seen as solar prominences — extend far away from the Sun’s photosphere and can even enter the Sun’s corona. Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 8 June 2021 At its peak, the photosphere was moving at around 7 kilometers per second, reversing the outward push as the dimming of the star became more dramatic. Jennifer Ouellette, Wired, 18 June 2021 The findings last year showed that an outer layer of the star, called the photosphere, had begun unevenly accelerating outward right before Betelgeuse began to dim. Jennifer Ouellette, Wired, 18 June 2021 Coronal mass ejections are the largest, connecting the photosphere to the corona, where reconnection can cause an enormous release of energy. Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 8 June 2021 That friendly yellow photosphere boils like oatmeal and is pocked with dark magnetic storms (the infamous sunspots) that crackle, whirl and lash space with showers of electrical particles and radiation. New York Times, 28 May 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
photo- + -sphere; in sense 2 probably as translation of German Lichtatmosphäre
First Known Use
1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1