Sentinel Digital Desk
On Earth, matter typically assumes one of three states: solid, liquid, or gas. But in space, 99.9% of normal matter is in an entirely different form — plasma. Made of loose ions and electrons, this substance is in a supercharged state beyond gas that’s created when matter is heated to extreme temperatures or is plied with a strong electric current. Although we rarely interact with plasma, we see it all the time. All the stars in the night sky, including the Sun, are mostly made of plasma. It even appears occasionally on Earth in the form of bolts of lightning and in neon signs.
Earth is a planet of diverse climates, ranging from Siberia's freezing winters to the Sahara's blazing summers. The highest and lowest temperatures recorded on Earth stand at 134°F (57°C) and -129°F (-89°C) respectively. However, such extremes pale in comparison to those found in outer space. In the absence of an insulating atmosphere, temperatures on celestial bodies can vary dramatically between day and night. For example, on Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, the daytime temperature can reach a searing 840°F (449°C), while the night temperature drops to a bone-chilling -275°F (-171°C). Moreover, even spacecraft in space experience significant temperature disparities of up to 60°F (33°C) between their sunlit and shadowed sides.
At this very moment, the Sun is engaging in a remarkable feat: compressing hydrogen atoms together to create helium in a process called fusion. This phenomenon occurs under extreme pressure and temperature at the Sun's core, giving rise to new elements in the process. When the universe first formed, it primarily comprised hydrogen and helium, along with a small quantity of other light elements. However, through fusion processes occurring within stars and supernovae, over 80 other elements have been produced, some of which are essential to life as we know it
Each day, a series of colossal explosions rock the space around Earth. These eruptions are triggered by the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun, colliding with Earth's protective magnetic shield, or magnetosphere. The interplay between the Sun's magnetic field and Earth's magnetosphere leads to a tangling of magnetic field lines, which eventually snap and realign, causing nearby charged particles to be ejected in a sudden outburst of energy known as magnetic reconnection
On Earth, one of the simplest ways to transfer energy is by giving an object a push, which typically involves collisions, such as when wind causes trees to sway. However, in outer space, energy transfer can occur without any physical contact. This unusual phenomenon takes place within invisible structures called shocks.