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Abstract

Coronal bright points (CBPs) are a fundamental class of solar activity. They represent a set of low-corona small-scale loops with enhanced emission in the extreme-ultraviolet and X-ray spectrum that connect magnetic flux concentrations of opposite polarities. CBPs are one of the main building blocks of the solar atmosphere outside active regions uniformly populating the solar atmosphere including active region latitudes and coronal holes. Their plasma properties classify them as downscaled active regions. Most importantly, their simple structure and short lifetimes of less than 20 h that allow to follow their full lifetime evolution present a unique opportunity to investigate outstanding questions in solar physics including coronal heating. The present Living Review is the first review of this essential class of solar phenomena and aims to give an overview of the current knowledge about the CBP general, plasma and magnetic properties. Several transient dynamic phenomena associated with CBPs are also briefly introduced. The observationally derived energetics and the theoretical modelling that aims at explaining the CBP formation and eruptive behaviour are reviewed.