photosphere

noun

pho·​to·​sphere ˈfō-tə-ˌsfir How to pronounce photosphere (audio)
1
: a sphere of light or radiance
2
: the luminous surface layer of the sun or a star
photospheric adjective

Examples of photosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Poitevin’s latter analysis revealed that thanks to the prominences, for him, the partial eclipse began 4 minutes and 7 seconds before the moon began to cross the photosphere. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024 Eclipses are said to begin when the moon crosses the sun’s disk, its photosphere, but through an H-alpha telescope, the observer sees the chromosphere, so the eclipse always starts slightly earlier. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024 The sun’s photosphere is full of millions of bubbles formed through convection. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024 The Parker probe saw the entire thing—from the CME's generation, to its emission from the sun's surface (or photosphere), to its propagation in the space between our star and our planet. Rebecca Boyle, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for photosphere 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of photosphere was in 1664

Dictionary Entries Near photosphere

Cite this Entry

“Photosphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photosphere. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

photosphere

noun
pho·​to·​sphere ˈfōt-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r How to pronounce photosphere (audio)
: the shining surface of the sun or a star
photospheric adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on photosphere

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