And video #2: Filaments in Space
These are the only two so far released. I'll post more as they come out.
Transcript:
00:07
Welcome to Space News from the Electric Universe,
00:10
brought to you by The Thunderbolts Project™
00:12
at Thunderbolts.info
00:16
What fills the vast space in the unimaginable distances
00:20
separating celestial objects in the cosmos?
00:24
Space is indeed a big place but it's not a perfect void or vacuum.
00:29
Today this fact is acknowledged even by the NASA space agency
00:33
which states in an official report from 2014,
00:37
"Space may appear empty -- a soundless vacuum, but it's not an absolute void.
00:43
It flows with electric activity that is not visible to our eyes."
00:48
The movement of electrically charged particles requires a medium
00:52
and that medium in space is plasma
00:54
or the so called 4th state of matter.
00:57
Plasma is commonly referred to as a gas
01:00
whose constituent atoms have been split into electrons and ions
01:04
which move independently of each other.
01:06
Well over 99% of the visible universe is composed of plasma
01:11
including the Earth's ionosphere,
01:13
the Sun and All Stars
01:15
and nearly all of the interplanetary, interstellar and intergalactic medium.
01:21
Electric currents flowing through plasma
01:23
can be recognized through their distinct filamentary shape
01:27
as seen in the familiar novelty plasma ball.
01:30
With extraordinary advances in space telescopes
01:33
we see today, in unprecedented detail, filamentary structures
01:37
that pervade the visible universe at all scales.
01:40
The appearances of these distinct structures have proved puzzling to astronomers
01:45
far more often than not
01:46
as they defy the expected form and behaviors of hot gas in a vacuum.
01:51
In part two of this 10 part presentation
01:55
we explore why filamentation throughout the cosmos is just one of 10 reasons
02:00
why the universe is electric.
02:02
Filaments in Space
02:04
Let us begin by considering the examples of filaments that we see locally
02:08
associated with celestial bodies in our own solar system.
02:12
The most dramatic displays can surely be seen on our Sun.
02:16
Of course we see huge plasma filaments,
02:19
sometimes a million kilometers or longer,
02:21
that occasionally erupt or explode off of the Sun's surface.
02:25
But one of countless unresolved problems in solar physics
02:29
is the observation of giant snake-like filaments
02:32
reaching from the surface of the Sun to the dark cores of sunspots.
02:37
For decades, scientists following the standard solar model
02:41
have viewed the Sun spot penumbra filaments as "convection cells"
02:45
or columns of hot gases transporting heat from the Sun's interior to its surface.
02:51
But as physicist Wal Thornhill has observed,
02:54
the filaments bear no resemblance to any known form of convection in a hot gas.
02:59
Indeed, in our first ever Space News episode,
03:02
we reported on the discovery of anomalously weak solar convection
03:07
by scientists measuring the Sun's internal plasma motions.
03:10
The Electric Universe theory proposes that the Sun
03:14
is not powered by an internal thermonuclear reaction
03:17
but rather it receives its electrical energy from interstellar space
03:22
in which case the absence of convection is to be expected.
03:25
The complex magnetic fields associated with the penumbra filaments
03:29
are acknowledged by solar physicists.
03:32
As seen in the text of the Astronomy Picture of the Day image seen on your screen,
03:37
"Here magnetic field lines can be clearly followed outward from the sunspot to distant regions."
03:43
A clear defiance of the expected behaviors of so-called convection cells.
03:48
In a 2002 article on his website;
03:51
Thornhill wrote on the mysterious nature of sunspots,
03:54
"It is crucially important to understand a sunspot
03:57
because it is the only place on the Sun that gives a glimpse below the bright photosphere.
04:02
And what do we see?
04:04
It is cooler down there by thousands of degrees!
04:08
That is not expected at all if the Sun is trying to rid itself of heat.
04:13
The sunspot center should be much hotter and brighter than its surroundings."
04:18
In the Electric Universe, the penumbral filaments are electrical discharges in plasma
04:23
in the characteristic form of long thin rope-like structures.
04:28
If the filaments are "convecting gas"
04:32
then one would expect the filament centers to be the hottest and brightest points.
04:36
But instead, solar physicists were amazed to observe
04:40
that the penumbral filaments have dark cores.
04:43
In the Electric Universe, the Sun and all stars are positively charged anodes
04:48
and the Sun's electrical circuitry
04:50
reaches across vast distances throughout the solar system.
04:54
The electromagnetic connection of the Sun to planets,
04:57
including the earth, is now undeniable.
05:00
In 2007, NASA scientists were amazed to discover dynamic so-called magnetic flux ropes
05:07
that constantly "form and unravel in Earth's magnetosphere"
05:11
and, in 2017, scientists with NASA's Cassini mission
05:15
were astonished to discover that these same "magnetic ropes"
05:19
connect the Sun and the planet Saturn
05:21
over the incredible distance of nearly 900 million miles.
05:25
These so-called magnetic ropes are in fact electrical Birkeland currents
05:30
which are now known to power Earth's auroras.
05:33
It's now more clear than ever that planets within the Sun's electrical domain
05:37
are electrically charged bodies.
05:39
On our own Earth, this fact is best demonstrated by the relatively recent discovery
05:44
of powerful lightning that sometimes occurs above thunderstorms,
05:48
reaching towards space.
05:50
For decades, airline pilots have reported their observations of the stupendous lightning
05:55
though it wasn't until the early 1990s that institutional science
05:59
finally recognized the phenomenon exists.
06:02
More recently, scientists working with the ESA Swarm mission
06:06
reported their discovery of "supersonic plasma jets" high up in our atmosphere.
06:11
A Phys.org report on the discovery stated,
06:14
"The theory that there are huge electric currents,
06:17
powered by solar wind and guided through the ionosphere by Earth's magnetic field,
06:22
was postulated more than a century ago by Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland.
06:26
While much is known about these current systems,
06:29
recent observations... have revealed that they are associated with large electrical fields."
06:35
The spectacular filamentary discharges we see in our upper atmosphere
06:39
may have analogs in other bodies in our solar system
06:42
that scientists have yet to recognize.
06:45
The most extreme example may be seen on the Jovian moon Io
06:48
which astronomers have characterized since 1979
06:51
as the most volcanically active body in the solar system.
06:55
But as we've discussed many times on this series,
06:58
the theory that the spectacular, so-called, plumes are a form of cryovolcanism
07:03
has been falsified on numerous counts.
07:06
Just one of many problems for planetary scientists
07:09
is outlined on the official Wikipedia page on Tvashtar Paterae region of Io
07:13
which states that the over 300 kilometer high, so-called, volcanic plume displays
07:18
"an as yet unexplained filamentary structure".
07:23
However, this statement is factually incorrect.
07:26
The filamentary structure was explained decades ago
07:29
by plasma scientists who recognized that the "plumes"
07:33
are high-energy electrical discharges.
07:35
This theory was first proposed by the renowned astrophysicist Thomas Gold in 1979.
07:41
Then in 1988, plasma scientist Dr. Anthony Peratt and co-author Alex Dessler
07:47
explained, in a peer-reviewed paper, that the Io plumes
07:50
are comparable in form to a plasma gun.
07:53
Similar filamentary plasma discharges are seen on the Saturnian moon Enceladus,
07:58
though again, planetary scientists can only apply theories of cryovolcanism.
08:04
But for several years astronomers have recognized
08:07
the electric current systems connecting Saturn and Jupiter to their respective moons
08:12
though they still imagine volcanism producing the detected charged particles.
08:17
The Electric Universe is a connected universe
08:20
and the braided filamentary structures we see throughout our solar system;
08:24
jetting from planetary surfaces,
08:27
on the surface of the Sun
08:29
and in the plasma structures surrounding comets
08:32
as seen in this NASA infrared image of comet Holmes,
08:36
all attest to the electrical circuitry that governs our celestial neighborhood.
08:41
We turn our attention now outside of our solar system
08:44
to our galaxy's interstellar medium
08:46
and the extraordinary role that plasma filaments play in the formation of stars.
08:51
A key prediction of the Electric Universe theory was outlined in the 2005 monograph,
08:56
The Electric Universe, by Wal Thornhill and David Talbott. They wrote,
09:01
"Plasma physicists argue that stars are formed by an electromagnetic 'pinch' effect
09:05
on widely dispersed gas and dust.
09:08
The 'pinch' is created by the magnetic force between parallel current filaments
09:13
that are part of the huge electric currents flowing inside a galaxy."
09:17
In 2015, this prediction was affirmed by data from the Herschel Space Telescope
09:23
which imaged, in unprecedented detail, networks of filaments throughout the Milky Way.
09:28
A Phys.org report on the observations states:
09:31
"ESA's Herschel Space Observatory has been a true game changer...
09:36
One of the key aspects that emerged from these observations
09:39
is the presence of a filamentary network
09:41
nearly everywhere in our galaxy's interstellar medium.
09:45
The picture that is emerging is that these structures
09:48
are closely linked to the formation of stars."
09:51
The principal investigator of the survey stated,
09:54
"The greatest surprise was the ubiquity of the filaments in these nearby clouds
09:59
and their intimate connection with star formation.
10:02
But there is more: these observations revealed that filaments,
10:06
which may extend to several light-years in length,
10:08
appear to have a universal width of about one third of a light year.
10:12
This suggests that something fundamental is lurking underneath."
10:16
Of course, the fundamental thing, lurking underneath the stupendous filaments,
10:21
is electricity.
10:22
The universal width of the filaments that Herschel observed is not coincidental.
10:27
On Earth, lightning bolts of constant width are sometimes observed to stretch for miles.
10:33
Unfortunately, standard astronomy still holds
10:36
to the pre space-age notion of an electrically sterile universe
10:41
and thus the researchers attempt to explain the filamentary networks as follows,
10:46
"Turbulent motions of the interstellar gas and dust
10:49
create an intricate web of filamentary structures..."
10:52
However, from the Electric Universe viewpoint
10:55
it is paramount that the most prominent filaments
10:58
are seen drawing matter from a network of smaller filaments.
11:02
Smaller coronal filaments are also characteristic of electric discharges in plasma.
11:08
Other filamentary structures throughout the Milky Way
11:11
attest to the spectacular electromagnetic energies
11:14
that, in fact, organize and drive all galaxies.
11:18
Near the center of our galaxy is a structure called the Galactic Center Radio Arc,
11:23
a long-standing source of mystery for astronomers.
11:26
The long parallel rays that shoot straight out from the galactic plane
11:30
are described in an Astronomy Picture of the Day as follows,
11:34
"The radio arc is connected to the Galactic center
11:37
by strange curving filaments known as the Arches.
11:40
The bright radio structure at the bottom right
11:43
likely surrounds a black hole at the Galactic center and is known as Sagittarius A*.
11:48
One origin hypothesis holds that the Radio Arc and the Arches have their geometry
11:54
because they contain hot plasma flowing along lines of constant magnetic field.
11:59
Recent images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory
12:02
appear to show this plasma colliding with a nearby cloud of cold gas."
12:06
But plasma cosmology recognizes the dynamic behaviors of electric currents
12:11
flowing through conductive plasma.
12:13
What standard astronomy describes as "long parallel rays",
12:18
plasma physicists recognized as spiralling pairs
12:21
of magnetic field aligned Birkeland currents.
12:24
The so called strange curving filaments are Birkeland currents
12:29
feeding electrical power into the galactic center.
12:32
In plasma cosmology it is not a black hole
12:35
but a plasmoid that is responsible for the tremendous concentration of energies
12:40
and therefore mass at the centers of galaxies.
12:43
As we look at an even greater scale
12:46
we see affirmation of the underlying concept of the Electric Universe that
12:50
"there are no islands in space".
12:53
Earlier this year, researchers publishing in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
13:00
reported the first ever measurement of the "magnetic bridge"
13:03
linking the Milky Way's two nearest galaxies. Known as the Magellanic bridge,
13:09
the unimaginably vast filament stretches for approximately 75 thousand light years
13:15
connecting the large and small Magellanic Clouds.
13:18
One of the researchers says of the findings,
13:20
"Not only are entire galaxies magnetic,
13:23
but the faint delicate threads joining galaxies are magnetic, too.
13:28
Everywhere we look in the sky, we find magnetism."
13:31
The lead researcher of the study stated,
13:34
"In general, we don't know how such vast magnetic fields are generated,
13:38
nor how these large-scale magnetic fields affect galaxy formation and evolution.
13:43
Understanding the role that magnetic fields play in the evolution of galaxies and their environment
13:48
is a fundamental question in astronomy that remains to be answered."
13:53
But as we explained in the first episode of this series,
13:56
magnetism in space will always remain mysterious
14:00
unless and until astronomers recognize the electric currents required
14:04
to induce and sustain the magnetic fields.
14:07
In fact, at the galactic scale, some of the world's most distinguished plasma physicists
14:12
have provided experimental proof that resolves the "mysteries",
14:16
both of the motions of galaxies and their magnetic fields.
14:20
Plasma experiments show that rotation
14:22
is a natural function of interacting electric currents in plasma.
14:26
A good example is the ubiquitous spiral galaxy,
14:30
a predictable configuration of a cosmic scale discharge.
14:35
Computer models of two current filaments, interacting in a plasma,
14:39
have reproduced fine details of spiral galaxies
14:42
with no need for the influence of hypothetical dark matter.
14:46
Consider the comparison of the images on your screen:
14:49
On the top is a picture of the spiral galaxy M81
14:53
as imaged by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
14:56
Beneath are snapshots from a computer simulation, by plasma scientist Dr. Anthony Peratt,
15:02
illustrating the evolution of galactic structures under the influence of electric currents.
15:07
Through the electromagnetic pinch effect,
15:10
parallel currents converge to produce spiraling structures.
15:14
Peratt was a protégé of the Nobel Prize winner, plasma physicist Hannes Alfven,
15:19
who stated of cosmic electrical activity,
15:22
"Space is filled with a network of currents
15:24
which transfer energy and momentum over large or very large distances.
15:29
The currents often pinch to filamentary or surface currents.
15:34
The latter are likely to give space,
15:36
as also interstellar and intergalactic space, a cellular structure."
15:40
Indeed in the 1920s, it was Irving Langmuir
15:44
who is credited with having coined the term plasma to describe an ionized gas
15:49
due to its seemingly lifelike properties reminiscent of blood plasma.
15:53
The filamentary structures we see throughout the cosmos;
15:57
in the spectacular threaded networks in nebulae,
16:01
to the high-energy collimated jets, light-years in length,
16:05
shooting from so-called Herbig-Haro objects,
16:08
to the stupendous cometary knots seen in planetary nebulae,
16:13
to the cosmic web where galaxies, like stars in our Milky Way,
16:18
line filaments of matter like pearls on a string;
16:21
all testify to the electromagnetic force exponentially more powerful than gravity,
16:27
organizing matter at every scale.
16:30
Stay tuned for Part 3
16:37
For continuous updates on Space News from the Electric Universe,
16:41
stay tuned to
16:42
Thunderbolts.info
