The invisible plasma that makes up 99% of our solar system

Space · Published 17 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Most of our solar system isn't made of solid rock or gas, but of charged particles called plasmas. These high-energy environments shape everything from the sun's corona to the radiation belts surrounding Earth, creating a complex web of interactions that can disrupt our modern technology.

Space physics focuses on the study of naturally occurring plasmas above Earth's atmosphere. Comprising more than 99% of our solar system, these charged particle gases exist within planetary magnetospheres, the solar wind, and the sun's core. A key component is the ionosphere, which is created when solar UV radiation ionizes particles in our atmosphere.

The discipline was effectively launched in the 1950s when James Van Allen used Explorer I to discover the Van Allen radiation belts. These are regions where high-energy charged particles from the solar wind and the ionosphere become trapped by Earth's magnetic field. This field is generated by currents in the Earth's outer liquid core and extends outward until it meets the interplanetary magnetic field at the magnetopause.

These interactions are not just theoretical; they have significant practical consequences. When the solar wind disturbs the magnetosphere, it can trigger geomagnetic storms. These events can interfere with GPS satellites, spacecraft, and power grids on Earth. Researchers use diverse methods to study these phenomena, including direct in situ measurements from over 100 rocket and spacecraft missions, as well as theoretical models like magnetohydrodynamics.

While space physics explores the immediate neighborhood of our planet, NASA's broader astrophysics programs look further out. They use observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory to study the most extreme environments in the universe, including black holes, neutron stars, and the formation of the first galaxies. Together, these fields map the transition from local plasma dynamics to the fundamental laws governing the entire cosmos.

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