A picture and essay from the perspective of the Electric Universe.
May 15, 2013 The discovery of ‘mega-lightning’, upper-atmospheric lightning or transient luminous events (TLEs) is relatively recent, due to the fleeting nature of these phenomena: most last no longer than a few milliseconds. A menagerie of types – such as the playfully labelled ‘sprites’ and ‘ELVES’ – discharge energetically…
May 14, 2013 Problematic black hole physics is in the news again. In a recent press release from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer and the Pan-STARRS1 telescope in Hawaii, astronomers announced “direct evidence” for the existence of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) in another galaxy. The high frequency ultraviolet spectrum, as well…
May 13, 2013 A new mission designed to study the Sun’s electrical relationship with Mars will soon be launched. Sometime in the morning a few months from now, between November 18 and December 7, 2013, NASA will launch the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission. Otherwise known as MAVEN,…
May 10, 2013 What formed the hundreds of limestone knolls in this region? The Chocolate Hills are considered to be one of the seven natural wonders of Asia. They are composed of limestone that, according to geologists, has been eroded by rainwater and subsidence into what is known as…
May 09, 2013 One of the largest “active galaxies” is thought to be powered by a supermassive black hole. Electrical energy is a more likely driving force. A recent press release from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) announces that the elliptical galaxy Centaurus A is ejecting a light-years long jet of…
May 08, 2013 Some have suggested ancient technology glassified these Indus Valley ruins but electricity is a more plausible explanation. Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent region are thought to be the “birthplace” of civilization and the central focus for human culture dating back to the beginning of recorded history….
May 07, 2013 The Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a companion galaxy to the Milky Way, is called a nursery for new stars. The growing awareness of plasma should make it also a nursery for new ideas to explain its features. It features glowing filaments of ionized…
May 06, 2013 Phenomena throughout the visible universe exhibit features that are twisted and “stringy”. From plume to prominence it is plasma interactions that we see. In previous Picture of the Day articles, there have been many discussions about formations cut in stone or puffed-out in clouds of ionized gas that are not…
May 3, 2013 How old are the stars? Why are stars found where we find them? What causes them to form and how do they age? These questions are commonly asked by astronomers and philosophers alike. If the stars are born and die according to certain parameters, then a…
May 02, 2013 A galaxy-wide filament connects two galactic clusters. The Herschel Space Observatory possesses the largest mirror ever launched into space: 3.5 meters in diameter. Herschel entered orbit around LaGrange point L2 (behind Earth in relation to the Sun) in July 2009, so that its extremely sensitive, supercooled infrared detectors…
