The Sun's Corona Is Hotter Than the Layers Immediately Below It. Its Heat Source Is Still a Puzzle.
During a total solar eclipse, when the Moon covers the photosphere, the Sun's corona appears as a white crown, with plasma streamers narrowing outward into shapes like flower petals.
The corona is much hotter than the layers immediately below it. The source of that coronal heating is a major unsolved puzzle in the study of the Sun.
The analogy is a bonfire: imagine walking away from it only to get warmer.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
Take
The bonfire image is the best part: it turns an unsolved puzzle into a joke about walking the wrong way.
Pushback
It is a good joke, but it can make the problem sound like a single missing ingredient. “Major unsolved puzzle” leaves room for a messier problem.