Electric Universe: The Rumour That Gravity Is Only a Small Part of the Story

In 1970, Swedish physicist Hannes Alfvén received half of the Nobel Prize in Physics for foundational work in magnetohydrodynamics with applications across plasma physics. Plasma is matter whose electrons have separated from atoms, so it carries charge and responds to both electric and magnetic fields. Decades later, the movement called the Electric Universe took Alfvén's plasma research as its starting point and retold the origin of stars, planets and galaxies in electrical terms.

The rumour does not deny gravity. It says gravity was promoted to centre stage while electromagnetism was demoted to a side effect. Supporters argue that currents running through interplanetary and intergalactic plasma build many structures that astronomy textbooks explain with gravity, dark matter or dark energy. The strongest version of the rumour goes further: the Sun draws its energy from a galactic electrical circuit instead of producing all of it through nuclear fusion in the core.