What is not familiar usually has no conceptual framework for understanding and far too often is not even perceived.
A charged particle that moves is an electric current. This is a familiar thought when we do electrical things here on earth, but not when we do things in space.
Overall, the Standard Model cannot see the electrical-particle forest for the mass-particle trees. They are lost in a plasma universe, seeing charged particles in motion but thinking in terms of gas kinetics and gravity.
Four common examples how mainstream astronomy interprets charged particles in space:
1) streaming from the Sun they’re a “wind” instead of an electric current
2) falling on a planet or moon they’re a “rain” instead of an electrical discharge
3) moving along a magnetic field they’re “jets” instead of a field-aligned power cable
4) abruptly changing in density and speed they’re a “shock front” rather than a double layer that can dissipate electrical energy and even explode
When electric currents in space become familiar—once they’re understood—they will be perceived almost everywhere. The only place they’re missing is in modern astronomical theories.
Matt Finn narrates from a Top 10 Thunderbolts Picture of the Day.
