Exploring Space Physics: What is it?

[bkvitha]

I came across this term called space physics.

It says that

"Space physics, also known as space plasma physics, is the study of plasmas as they occur naturally in the universe."

Is it cosmology or astrophysics. Or is it something different but under one of these branches!?

 

[xAbsoluteZerox]

Space Plasma Physics, as opposed to astrophysics which deals with the physics of all of space, usually addresses the physics of our local solar system. Space Plasma Physics usually deals the sun, its solar wind, planetary magnetospheres, aurora, and their interrelationship with one another.

*Edit: I would also say that space plasma physics is one of the basic components of the study of space weather.

 

[charris]

each person has it's own view.

 

[EL]

I've heard "space physics" to be defined as the study of the part of space where we are able to send spacecraft s.

 

[Chronos]

I'm allergic to using the terms 'plasma physics' and 'cosmology' in the same sentence. It is crackpot territory, IMO.

 

[EL]

I'm allergic to using the terms 'plasma physics' and 'cosmology' in the same sentence. It is crackpot territory, IMO.

Really? Can you give an example?

 

[Chronos]

Does 'plasma cosmology' or the 'electric universe' ring any bells?

 

[EL]

Does 'plasma cosmology' or the 'electric universe' ring any bells?

I think I'd heard about plasma cosmology before. Found this
http://www.plasmacosmology.net/



About electric universe I first found [PLAIN]http://www.electricuniverse.de/[/URL]

and later
http://www.holoscience.com/
where the author makes some fascinating comments like

I predict that the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2006 will have some present committee members red-faced because the "Big Bang" theory it rewards is already dead!

Despite those sites there's a lot of connections between plasma physics and cosmology that isn't crackpottery, mainly when it comes to early universe physics.

 

[Chronos]

I agree. Plasma physics and EM effects dominate the universe - at small scales - and fail miserably at large scales. Assuming PP and EU effects explain the universe at large [and small] how did all those astronauts journey to the moon without being toasted?

 

[Astronuc]

When I entered university, I majored in Physics with a Space Physics option, which meant astronomny, as well as 'cosmology or astrophysics.'

As Chronos indicated, some people like to appropriate scientific terms (e.g. 'plasma cosmology', 'electric universe', . . . ) in order to make their non-scientific ideas more palatable if not plausible.

Plasma physics is part one aspect of space physics, but one must be aware of the range of magnitudes involved. In stars, plasmas are 'dense' - e.g. the plasma in the sun are on the order of 10²⁰ particles/cm³, whereas in interstellar space, plasma densities are a few particles/cm³.

See also - http://www.plasmas.org/space-astrophys.htm

As for controversy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_cosmology
The neutrality and factual accuracy of this article are disputed.