Final answer:
The layers of the solar atmosphere in order of increasing temperature are the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona. The photosphere ranges from 4500 K to 6800 K. The chromosphere is at about 10,000 K, and the corona reaches temperatures of several million Kelvin, with the transitional region experiencing a dramatic temperature rise.
Step-by-step explanation:
To rank the layers of the solar atmosphere in order of increasing temperature, we start with the photosphere, move to the chromosphere, and end with the corona. The photosphere is the closest layer to the solar surface, and temperatures there range from 4500 K to about 6800 K. Just above the photosphere is the chromosphere, which typically maintains a temperature around 10,000 K. This is evident from the bright emission lines in its spectrum and the reddish color that arises from strong hydrogen emissions.
Significantly, there is a transition region where the temperature rises dramatically from the cooler temperatures of the chromosphere to nearly a million degrees in the corona. The corona itself is the outermost part of the Sun's atmosphere with temperatures reaching a few million Kelvin, which was observed throughout many centuries, especially noted during solar eclipses.
Despite the basic understanding of these layers, the solar atmosphere is actually more complex with hot and cool regions intermixed, challenging the simplistic model of consecutive spherical shells with uniform temperatures.