In this image, you can clearly see how the solar corona follows the magnetic fields of the Sun. The corona extends millions of kilometers from the surface of the Sun. The light from the corona comes from the scattering of free electrons, reflected light off of dust particles, and ions in the corona plasma. In an odd twist, the corona is a blistering 1 million degrees kelvin while the surface of the Sun is a cool 5,777 kelvin (on average).