During a solar eclipse, the phenomenon that occurs when the Moon partially blocks the Sun, creating bright patches of light, is known as __________.

The bright patches of light that appear when the Moon only partially covers the Sun are called the solar corona. The corona is the outer atmosphere of the Sun, which becomes visible when the bright solar disk is hidden by the Moon. During a partial eclipse, the corona shines as a faint halo or bright patches around the Moon’s silhouette. This glow is caused by the Sun’s hot outer layers that are normally overwhelmed by the Sun’s bright surface. A simple example is watching a partial eclipse and seeing a thin, glowing ring around the Moon’s edge.