It takes an eclipse or special telescopes to see the corona the wispy outer atmosphere of the Sun, the source of the solar wind which reaches out to touch us here on Earth.

http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/Intro.html
The Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere

http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/cowley.html
A Beginner's Guide to the Earth's Magnetosphere