So What is the Electric Universe?

Comparing a ball of plasma to a nebbula

The Electric Universe Theory proposes that electricity plays a hugely significant role in the universe. EU theory suggests that stars are actually powered externally and are linked together with the planets and other stars by electromagnetic currents. In the reality of EU, there is no thermonuclear explosion happening within the sun, you are actually witnessing a huge bolt of electric plasma. EU theory also explains that a lot of surface features of planets which were once thought to be asteroid collisions are in fact caused by incredibly powerful lightning discharge.

Why does this theory exist?

There are a lot of holes in the standard physics model and a lot of entities are appearing which not only break the rules of the standard model but also are intuitively not physically possible. A black hole for instance, apparently exists without ever being observed, and apparently has infinite density in a model that does not accept infinites. The EU theory relies heavily on 'if you can't replicate it, it probably doesn't exist' mentality. This ethos has spawned many people to create labs (some in their bedrooms, some vast multi million pound) to attempt to prove that the universe is infact ruled by electricity.

The SAFIRE project

The SAFIRE project is a set of laboratory based experiments to explore the role of electricity in stellar and planetary phenomena, with initial aims to recreate an electric sun which will be used for observations. From the electricuniverse.info website: Safire focuses primarily on observation and experimentation, instead of theory and simulations. Experimentation takes place in a large vacuum chamber, that has also been described as 'A Star in a Jar'. The wide variety of data generated by the chamber allows a comparison with data retrieved from the Sun, that is more than just a visual comparison. SAFIRE is an acronym for “Stellar Atmospheric Function in Regulation Experiment”. To date, the Safire Project has not found any disparities with the EU/ES model.

A Birkland Current

Birkland currents connect planets and stars together and are magnetic fields which carry millions of amperes through space. EU suggests that they are the cause of the auroa borealis as the colours appear to counter rotate. This causes a hexagon shape to appear on the poles of Saturn, which is clearly visible (search the web for Saturn's hexagon).

The currents flows earthwards down the morning side of the Earth's ionosphere, around the polar regions, and spacewards up the evening side of the ionosphere. These Birkeland currents are now sometimes called auroral electrojets. The currents were predicted in 1903 by Norwegian explorer and physicist Kristian Birkeland, who undertook expeditions into the Arctic Circle to study the aurora.

Plasma physicists suggest that many structures in the universe exhibiting filamentation are due to Birkeland currents. Peratt notes that "Regardless of scale, the motion of charged particles produces a self-magnetic field that can act on other collections of charged particles, internally or externally".

More info on the electric universe can be found at Thunderbolts.info or Electricuniverse.info