astrodidact:

Electromagnetism and Atoms:

Essential to understanding how the universe was formed and how we’ve gotten here after all this time is not easy in the slightest bit. Understanding atoms, electromagnetism between atoms of different polarities (positive or negative), and how the resulting molecules make up everything within us and around us is key to understanding the history of the universe. Scientists, Cosmologists, Particle Theorists and the like are all attempting to fully understand the function of atoms at the smallest level because they believe, like myself, that the universe and everything in it is only around because of the natural function of atoms. If atoms didn’t attract each other, nothing would bond and nothing would ever stick together in the vacuum of space.

A simple, yet extraordinary experiment was done in space not too long ago that proved this. A collection of soils, sands, sugar, salt, and other grain-like particles were taken into outer space one day and when these bags were shaken up, the materials inside the bags began to clump together in separate little pieces. And then those little pieces seemingly driven by some force were moving towards other larger clumps. This experiment proved that “accretion” occurs in zero gravity because in space, any matter attracts matter. The more matter in one clump, the stronger the influence it has on other smaller clumps. This is a tremendous microcosm for the natural function of the cosmic dust and gas that permeates the universe. The question that seemed to be answered was that the force driving these clumps together was electromagnetism. There is an electrical attraction between all the different elements of our periodic table. A positively charged element will attract a negatively charged element and vice versa. Conversely, positively charged atoms repel one another and do not attract. The same goes for negatively charged atoms. It is also interesting to note that just as everything orbits around a center of mass all throughout the universe (planets orbiting stars), electrons orbit atoms and it is this natural occurrence that provides either the negative or positive charge of the atom itself. In nuclear fusion, the immense heat in the core of stars causes the atoms within the core to fly around at unimaginable speeds. The speed they fly is in direct correlation to the temperature of the atoms. When the atoms heat up to a temperature above 17 million degrees, they are zipping around the core of the star so fast that instead of positively charged hydrogen atoms repelling other positively charged hydrogen atoms, they smash into each other; the result is the release of energy and a new heavier element. This is what happens when hydrogen atoms inside of a star’s core bond to form a heavier Helium atom, and the energy released is called a Photon.

(via sagansense)