Kids around the world have always drawn the sun a little differently. Americans tend to sketch a yellow circle surrounded by straight lines — sometimes with a smiley face or black shades.

When you think about the Sun, you might think about a bright yellow circle, reminiscent from your childhood drawings and textbook illustrations. But is this depiction scientifically accurate?

The sun is the 865,000-mile ball of gas that was the scribbly yellow circle in your drawing. The corona is the veil of luminous plasma streaming millions of miles into space, where you drew ...