The Plasma Cosmos Paradigm: Electricity throughout the Universe

Source – Nexus Illuminati

Electricity in the Universe has been identified from beneath our feet, in animals and plants, our biosphere, and out to the furthest reaches of the Universe. In general, electricity is present wherever we find plasma, and since 99.999% of the visible universe is in the plasma state, magnetic field and electric currents are nearly everywhere. 

This page summarises where electricity and electric currents have been considered to be important. Each item is supported by peer reviewed papers from scientists in a number of different disciplines. 

Terrestrial electricity

Telluric currents (Subterranean electricity)

• Underground currents up to a million amps have been discovered in Australia.[1]
• Telluric currents have been discovered in Arizon in the San Francisco Peaks volcanic field.[2]
• Earth’s core: “Electric currents of about a billion amps flow across the boundary between the solid inner core and the fluid outer core that lies around it.”[3]

Atmospheric electricity

• Lightning is probably the most common and well-accepted form of terrestrial electricity
• Fair weather field is the measured voltage different between the ground and upper atmosphere
• St Elmos Fire is a well-documented, but less common form of electrical discharge
• Auroras are an electrical phenomena in the upper atmosphere.[4]
• Red sprites [5]
• Blue jets
• Gigantic jets (upward lightning) that can travel more than 60km (40 miles) into the ionosphere.[6]
• Elves: the acronym stands for “Emissions of Light and Very low frequency perturbations from Electromagnetically pulsed Sources”)
• Tigers: (Transient Ionospheric Glow Emission in Red)[7]
• Trolls: (Transient Red Optical Luminous Lineament)
• Gnomes and *Pixies [8]
• Clouds on earth blown by the solar wind.[9]

Ionosphere

• Birkeland currents are electric currents that power the aurora (on Earth and other planets),[10] and carry about a million amps.[11]

Biological electricity

• Electric fields may shape tissue.[12]
• Electric fish: are are number of over 300 species of fish and eels that can generate electric fields. (See Electric fish on Wikipedia)
• The Duck-billed platypus bill detects weak electric fields generated from the minute electrical signals passing between nerves and muscles in the tail of prey such as shrimp.[13]
• Neurons fire electrochemical signals.[14]
• Rattlesnakes generate 75-100 volts when shaken! The electrostatics may be used to sense their environment.[15]

General cosmic electricity

• Cosmic electricity: “Almost all cosmic plasmas that have been studied in detail seem to be penetrated by magnetic fields. The presence of the magnetic fields implies that considerable electric currents must exist in the cosmic plasmas. As has been stressed by Alfvén such currents often have a pronounced tendency to flow in relatively thin filamentary and sheet structures. Nearby examples of this are found in the ionosphere and magnetosphere of the Earth. In situ measurements show that currents here flow in a complex network of filaments and sheets. Also in more distant plasmas like the chromosphere and corona of the sun, the solar wind, and the interstellar medium we find thin structures in the form of filaments and sheets. There is strong evidence that many of these narrow structures are subject to the pinching action of electric currents.”[16][17]

Near-Earth electricity

• Neutral sheet and near-earth magnetotail flux ropes whose “field-aligned current within these ropes may approach a million amps”.[18]

Solar electricity

• Solar flares produce current loops.[19] [20] [21] [22]
• Solar Corona produces current sheets.[23]
• Sun spots [24]

Interplanetary electricity

• Heliospheric current sheet carries about 3×109 amperes, [25] with a current density of around 10-10 amps/m2 (space is big!)
• Interplanetary electric field has the same extent as the heliospheric current sheet, but the current run north-south.[26] [27]
• Flux ropes (Birkeland currents) between the Sun and Earth were discovered by the THEMIS spacecraft, carrying 650,000 Amps to the Artic aurora.[28] [29]
• Solar wind [30]

Galactic electricity

• Astrophysical jets carry electric currents [31] [32] that have been estimated at up to 1018Amps.[33]

Intergalactic electricity

• Galactic current sheet: the analog of the “Heliospheric current sheet” is estimated to carry 1017 – 1019 Amps.[34]
• Extragalactic jets (the analog of galactic astrophysical jets) carry electric currents.[35]

Comets

• Comet nuclei charge electrostatically.[36]
• Comet dust charges electrostatically causing it to levitate from the comet surface.[37]
• Cometary current system: plasma tail streamers separated by a neutral current sheet, has a total current exceeding 108A.[38]
• Cometary plasma tails, generate magnetic fields and electric currents of up to a billion Amp.[39]
• Cometary atmosphere feature electric currents.[40]
• Cometary aurora due to “current discharges into the atmosphere from the tail.[41]

Venus’ tail (flux ropes)

• Venus current system: Pioneer Venus Orbiter identified an induced electric field in the tail, and magnetic field reversals indicative of electric currents.[42] [43]

Meteoroids

• Meteoroids: “… in space are electrically charged due to cosmic rays, solar UV, and other effects (solar wind and ions and electron impacts)”[44]

Lunar charging

• Moon dust: charges due to photoelectric effect,[45] [46] interaction with the local plasma environment, [47] and contact charging.[48] that results in levitation of the lunar dust,[49]up to altitudes of up to 100km.[50] Lunar craters charge too.[51]
• Surface of the Moon: “the moon’s surface becomes electrified during each full moon. The moon passes through the Earth’s magnetotail, a cone of highly-charged particles, for about 6 days each month. On the side of the moon facing the sun, ultraviolet particles disrupt the electromagnetic effect, keeping the voltage at low levels, but on the dark side, the voltage can reach hundreds or thousands of volts.”[52][53]

Io-Jupiter flux tube

• Io-Jupiter flux tube: as Io crosses through Jupiter’s atmosphere, an electric current is generated estimated at 10 million amps.[54][55]

Io’s volcanoes

• Io’s volcanoes have been suggested to be powered electrically.[56]

Enceladus’ Plumes

Saturn’s moon Enceladus has electrically charged ice particles making up its plumes.[57]