[ajcarpy2005]

Well there is actually a very electrical and magnetic basis for many of the features and configurations we see in space and in star systems. There is a whole memmetic category heading known as Electric Universe, which although unfortunately contributed to by many crackpots, a very interesting and rational framework for understanding on at least a very basic level the 'why' and 'how' of what we observe in space. (why and how specific patterns or shapes are observed)

Here's a fantastic first part of a video series (long but very educational and interesting; not solid science but not devoid of facts either): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EPlyiW-xGI

[tfgg]

I'd urge anyone to read the wikipedia page [1] before seriously engaging with the "electric universe", the proposals of which, such as cosmic electrical currents being more important than gravity in galaxy structure (~35 mins into that video, just from scanning through), are not consistent with modern observations and are less effective than mainstream theories in explaining them.

The statement "Well there is actually a very electrical and magnetic basis for many of the features and configurations we see in space and in star systems" is highly controversial and pretty unsupported, beyond things like jets and planetary magnetic fields.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_cosmology

[ajcarpy2005]

If you downvoted I'm not angry but I would appreciate transparency about what you think about the role of electricity and magnetism in the Universe at large. I tried to distinguish my comment from naive ideology by cautioning that I am not comfortable with the level of scientific rigor used under the 'umbrella' of Electric Universe studies but that I find the cognitive paths they use to be on a track that probably leads to rigorous scientific experiments and provable/disprovable theories. I find it a good philosophical framework, far better than, say, Greek Astrology...

[michaelsbradley]

There is a website associated with the Los Alamos National Laboratory which offers a tour of the more solidly grounded Plasma Universe ideas:

http://plasmauniverse.info

On the books and journals page are shamelessly listed at least two titles which would be considered heretical by most mainstream space scientists: Eric Lerner's The Big Bang Never Happened and Don Scott's Electric Sky. The former critiques (still) problematical aspects of Lambda-CDM physical cosmology, while the latter explores such ideas as phenomenon like pulsars being essentially electrical in nature (not gravitational) and stars being powered by external electric currents rather than internal nuclear reactions.

Will such "crazy" theories ever make it into mainstream research institutions? Maybe... maybe not... but I'm glad that some serious-minded scientists are willing to buck orthodoxy and risk ridicule in order to explore interesting alternative theories.