Quiescent-Current Sheets Orbiting in Space (Download)
In the cold, dark void of space, we find an amazing phenomenon that’s made up of plasma. This is a charged gas made up of electrons and ions in which thin current sheets are separating large regions of plasma.
We all know the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. However, most of us aren’t aware of another state known as plasma. Plasma actually occupies 99.9% of the observable universe.
If we could strip off electrons from an atom, the electrons become free. You’re now left with positive ions and free electrons—this is known as a plasma. A good example that we often see is the occurrence of a lightning discharge we can witness as a flash across the sky. The lightning flash is caused by an electrical current that’s heating the ordinary gas to a very high temperature. This enables a plasma column, which we can see glowing.