Now above the photosphere is another layer that we talked about before in the eclipse section Chromosphere - cool low density atmosphere of the sun. K Doesn't block photons much. You can't normally see it. Can see during some solar eclipses has no color. The surface is not bland and uniform but has sever kinds of features.
Solar surface is granulated - particles of light and dark.
Arises from bubbling up from convection zone like boiling soup bubbles. Caused by magnetic field sticking up out of the sun - blocks convection below. Sun does emit some x-rays but these are not made in the core. This is possible because Sun is not a solid body. This is called differential rotation.