Label the Layers of the Sun – Parts of the Sun Diagram

All 9 parts on the diagram

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Layers 6

Core Hydrogen is fused into helium here. That is what powers the Sun’s heat and light.
Radiative zone Light made in the core crosses it very slowly. It changes direction again and again on the way.
Convective zone Hot plasma bubbles up toward the surface, cools and sinks back. NASA calls it the convection zone.
Photosphere The Sun has no solid surface. The photosphere gives off most of its visible light, so it is called the surface.
Chromosphere For a long time it showed only during a total solar eclipse. That is when the Moon hid the photosphere.
Corona Its name means crown. From Earth, the best time to see it is during a total solar eclipse. It is far hotter than the photosphere.

Features 3

Sunspots From Earth they look dark. That is because they are slightly cooler than the photosphere round them. They last from days to months.
Prominence Cooler, denser material held above the surface by a strong magnetic field. Also called a solar prominence.
Solar flare A burst of light and particles. The release of magnetic energy sets it off.

How this list was compiled: Every name and detail checked on 2026-09-30 against NASA Science, Sun: Facts (structure, surface, atmosphere and key features), https://science.nasa.gov/sun/facts/, against OpenStax Astronomy 2e, section 15.1 The Structure and Composition of the Sun, https://openstax.org/books/astronomy-2e/pages/15-1-the-structure-and-composition-of-the-sun, and against Wikipedia, Sun, text only. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

This diagram of the Sun with labels has a wedge cut out, so the inside shows. Six layers run from the core to the corona, and three features sit on or above the surface. The layers are not drawn to scale.

Read the full guide

Work from the middle out

Numbers 1 to 3 are inside the wedge: the core, the radiative zone with its wavy lines, and the convective zone with its loops. Number 4, the photosphere, is the face of the ball. Numbers 5 and 6, the chromosphere and the corona, lie round it.

Then the features

Numbers 7 to 9 are sunspots on the face, a prominence looping off one edge and a solar flare bursting off another. For a label the parts of the Sun worksheet, print the drawing blank. The print with names is the answer key: the layers of the Sun labeled.

Energy moves outward: made in the core, carried by radiation, then by rising gas, and sent into space from the photosphere.

Questions and answers

What are the layers of the Sun in order?

From the middle outward: the core, the radiative zone and the convective zone inside the Sun, then the photosphere, the chromosphere and the corona, which make up its atmosphere. Some scientists also count a thin transition region under the corona.

Which layer of the Sun do we see?

The photosphere. The Sun has no solid surface, so the photosphere, the layer that gives off most of its visible light, is what people call the surface. Never look straight at the Sun without protecting your eyes.

What is the hottest part of the Sun?

The core, where hydrogen is fused into helium and the temperature tops 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 million degrees Celsius). The photosphere is far cooler, at about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,500 degrees Celsius).

What is a sunspot?

A patch of the photosphere that is slightly cooler than the gas round it, so it looks dark. Sunspots form where the Sun’s magnetic field pokes out from the interior, and they last from days to months.

What is the difference between a solar flare and a prominence?

A solar flare is a burst of light and particles set off by the release of magnetic energy. A prominence is a loop of cooler, denser material held above the surface by a magnetic field.