The Sun and Its Atmosphere

This publication contains 29 papers on topics concerning the physics of the solar atmosphere. Papers were presented at a symposium on this subject at the 31 COSPAR Scientific Assembly, held in Birmingham, UK 1996. Most of the observations reported in this volume are from the recently commissioned SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft and from the Yohkoh satellite which has been successfully observing the sun during its evolution from maximum to minimum activity during the twenty-second solar cycle. The SOHO-based papers include the first observations of the solar corona in the ultraviolet domain. This allows a description of the plasma conditions not only in the inner solar atmosphere but, for the first time, also in the extended corona. The Yohkoh-based papers include studies on flares and on the evolution of the corona during the solar cycle. Some of the contributions report on the development in spectral diagnosis and theoretical studies, assisting interpretation of the data from SOHO, Yohkoh and previous spacecraft.