A 400,000 kilometer long prominence emerges from the Sun.
Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory/Goddard Space Flight Center.

 

Sunspot 1112
Oct 25, 2010

What is the Sun? And by extension, what are stars? A popular website describes the Sun in this way: "Our Sun is made up of elements left over from the Big Bang, elements formed from dying stars, and elements created in supernovae."

The basic premise of the Electric Universe theory is that celestial bodies are immersed in plasma and are connected by circuits. Since the Sun is also electrically interconnected with the galaxy and its planets, it should be thought of as a charged object in balance with the forces of its environment. That balance is not completely stable, however. The currents flowing into and out of the Sun can sometimes cause tremendous bursts of energy called solar flares.

According to consensus opinions, solar flares, or coronal mass ejections (CME), occur when magnetic loops in the Sun's atmosphere "reconnect" with each other, causing a short circuit. The explosive release of "magnetic energy" is said to accelerate the superheated gases out into space. No one knows what "magnetic reconnection" is, but it is offered as the only explanation by heliophysicists for the flaring phenomenon.

Since CMEs increase auroral brightness and frequency when they meet Earth's magnetic field, deductive reasoning (and instrumentality) identifies them as a flow of charged particles. Although space scientists refer to the ion stream pouring out of the Sun as a "wind," and that atomic fragments "rain down" on Earth, that they are attracted to and follow the polar cusps should definitively establish their electrical nature.

In the consensus view, when gas and dust start to collapse into a new star it naturally warms up and radiates energy. Outward pressure, it is said, opposes the inward force of gravity. If the outward force wins and overcomes the force of gravity, the atoms in the gas will never be compressed enough to undergo nuclear fusion. However, if the body is massive enough gravity continues to compress the star until its core becomes so hot and dense that thermonuclear reactions can begin to resist further compression and a star is born.

The discovery of a "solar wind" escaping the Sun at almost 700 kilometers per second was surprising in light of the thermonuclear fusion theory. In a gravity-driven Universe, the Sun's heat and radiation pressure are insufficient to explain how the particles of the solar wind accelerate past Venus, Earth and the rest of the planets. Since they are not rocket powered, no one expected such acceleration.

According to conventional doctrine, the Sun accelerates electrons (and protons) away from its surface in the same way that sound waves are amplified. Energetic pulsations in the solar photosphere travel upward through "acoustical wave-guides," called magnetic flux tubes, that push “hot gas” outward. In an Electric Universe populated by electric stars there is a more obvious explanation: electric fields in space can accelerate the charged solar particles, creating coherent electric currents that flow through the Solar System.

Solar flares can therefore be thought of as tremendous lightning bursts, discharging vast quantities of matter at near relativistic speeds. The circuit connecting the Sun with the Milky Way probably extends for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of light-years. How much electrical energy might be contained in such magnetically confined “transmission lines” feeding the solar anode?

As the Electric Sun theory relates, sunspots, flares, coronal heating, and all other solar activity most likely results from changes in the electrical input from our galaxy. Birkeland current filaments slowly rotate past the Solar System, supplying more or less power to the Sun as they go.

The giant filament recently observed in association with sunspot 1112 reveals its electrical parentage, proving Electric Universe advocate Wal Thornhill's assertions that: "While enormous time and resources have been poured into the effort to understand stars based on a single outdated idea, those familiar with plasma discharge phenomena have been paying close attention to the observed phenomena on the Sun and finding simple electrical explanations. After 100 years of neglect, an electrical model of stars is just beginning to emerge. It is an engineer’s view that offers a coherent understanding of our real place in the universe (cosmology) and practical insights for the future exploration of space. If the Sun shines as an electric light ‘plugged in’ to the Electric Universe, the objective tests become obvious. Perhaps, with a real understanding of stars we may reach childhood’s end in the cosmos."

Stephen Smith