Electric current
Inorganic occurrences of electricity in nature

Electrostatic materials – piezoelectricity – the geophysical flow of molten iron

Natural observable examples of electric current include static electric discharge and electricity in the Earth's mantle. Electrostaticity was among the earliest discoveries of inorganic electricity occurring in nature. Already early in history, it was discovered that certain types of stone and resins, like amber, can become electrostatic when friction is applied. Rubbing amber will cause it to become negatively charged. Piezoelectricity occurs when applying mechanical strain to certain crystals, causing them to become electrically polarized. Iron monoxide (FeO), which makes up 9% of the Earth mantle, conducts electricity (especially when molten); this is believed to contribute to Earth's rotation.

Atmospheric occurrence

Lightning flashes are also one of the earliest discovered natural observable examples of electric current. Electric charge can build up vertically in dense clouds, leading to lightning that discharges in flashes to the ground. The flashes follow a path of lowest electric resistance through the air.

In the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, it was discovered that the solar wind is the source of the polar auroras that occur in the atmosphere near the North and South Poles. The aurora borealis and aurora australis are generated by flows of charged particles emanating from the Sun, which occur when solar activity is high (temporarily strong solar flares).

Cosmic occurrences

The discovery of Birkeland currents by Kristian Birkeland has triggered further research into electric phenomena in the magnetosphere and in the cosmos. Thanks to the research of pioneering scientists and engineers like Hannes Alfvén, Irving Langmuir and Donald E. Scott, it was discovered that electricity is ubiquitous in the universe. Plasmas account for a large part of matter in the cosmos; plasmas are electrically charged. It is now believed that plasma-filled cosmic filaments are probably responsible for transfer of electricity through the universe. Recent astrophysical research indicates that such filaments can transfer electricity both between galaxies and between star clusters. Neutron stars, pulsars, magnetars, quasars and astrophysical jets play an important role in cosmic electric phenomena. It is hypothesized that star formation in clusters is in part powered by those filaments, as the star formation mostly occurs along strings, following the plasma filaments. It is believed that the intergalactic plasma filaments are slowly rotating, because of their electric charge that generates multi-layer, concentric electromagnetic fields. This filament rotation may account for the position and rotation of galaxies. This is a field of ongoing scientific research. The James Webb Space Telescope yields new insights that enable further astrophysical exploration into this subject.
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