chromosphere

noun

chro·​mo·​sphere ˈkrō-mə-ˌsfir How to pronounce chromosphere (audio)
: the region of the atmosphere of a star (such as the sun) between the star's photosphere and its corona
chromospheric
ˌkrō-mə-ˈsfir-ik How to pronounce chromosphere (audio) -ˈsfer- How to pronounce chromosphere (audio)
adjective

Examples of chromosphere 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.
This is what brings out the detailed appearance of hydrogen in the Sun's chromosphere, 93 million miles from Earth. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 19 Nov. 2025 The researchers used specific emissions from hydrogen and calcium ions as a marker for activity in the chromosphere. — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 25 June 2026 This allows the researchers to separately image the photosphere, chromosphere, interface region, and corona. Because the spectrograph is fast, IRIS can combine big images with very fine spectra of every 240-km-wide slice of the scene. — IEEE Spectrum, 12 Dec. 2013 After launching, the sounding rocket took about 90 seconds to reach space and point toward the sun, another eight minutes to conduct the experiment on the chromosphere, and no more than five minutes to return to Earth’s surface. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 21 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for chromosphere

Word History

Etymology

chromo- + sphere entry 1

Note: Term introduced by the English astronomer J. Norman Lockyer (1836-1920) in "Spectroscopic Observations of the Sun. No. II…Read November 19 and 26, 1868," Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, vol. 159 for the year 1869, p. 430.

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chromosphere was in 1868

Rhymes for chromosphere

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Browse Nearby Words

chromosomology
chromosphere
chromotrope
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Cite this Entry

“Chromosphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chromosphere. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

chromosphere

noun
chro·​mo·​sphere ˈkrō-mə-ˌsfi(ə)r How to pronounce chromosphere (audio)
: the part of the atmosphere of the sun or a star between the photosphere and corona

More from Merriam-Webster on chromosphere

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chromosphere

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