Our sun would be but a single infinitesimal dot among the 400 million dots that melt together into a gray haze as we might see our galaxy. Nevertheless our galaxy is an extremely empty giant space a thousand light years across.

As for our solar system: If a period "." on this screen were to represent our Sun, the Earth and all the planets would be too small to be visible. The entire solar system would nevertheless extend a foot and a half beyond the edge of your screen on all sides. On this scale the closest solar system to our own would be located more than four miles away and its sun would be just another tiny dot. So empty is our galaxy in terms of space between the stars and planets.  On this scale our "Milky Way" galaxy would cover an expanse roughly 100,000 miles across. Beyond that comparison of scale becomes meaningless as we loose sight of our reference and become lost in the incomprehensible, because the concept of the 'big' just begins here. Our gigantic galaxy is after all but a tiny speck of one of the local clusters of galaxies, which is just one of many such clusters. 

Galaxy cluster MACS J0025.4-1222. Credit: X-ray (NASA/CXC/Stanford/S.Allen);
Optical/Lensing (NASA/STScI/UC Santa Barbara/M.Bradac) 
see: http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2008/arch08/080924coupling.htm

In the same manner as these clusters of galaxies are themselves bunched together into a local group of such clusters of galaxies, with vast spaces between them, we find the pattern repeated in distant places spread throughout the universe, where we find other groups of clusters of galaxies with even larger empty spaces between the groups that are measured in the hundreds of millions of light years. The scale literally defies the imagination.

On the other hand this apparently vast empty space that our universe appears to be isn't really quite so empty. As you can see below, the Sun of our solar system is radiantly interactive with its surrounding surrounding space. Large streams of electrically charged particles flow from it and into to it - streams of plasma as they are called. Plasma is a unique state of matter that is not made up of atoms, but is somewhat like a free flowing 'soup' consisting of the basic building blocks that atoms are made of, without the individual particles having been bound into stable atomic structures. It is generally accepted that 99.99% of all the mass in the universe exists in this fluid state, rather than as completed atoms that make up the planets. Since, in the fluid state, the various particles that are all electrically charged, can carry an electric current, they become the most perfect electric conductors in the inverse. As such they carry enormous electric currents, a tiny whisp of which lights up the Sun and every other of the millions of suns that we see as stars. 

At the forefront in modern cosmology, the Electric Cosmology, the Sun is no longer regarded as being heated from the inside with an enormous hydrogen bomb continuously exploding in its interior. Instead the Sun is now recognized as an electrically charged planet that is heated from the outside by galactic electric currents flowing into it. The incoming current density is such that the outer layer of the Sun is heated to a temperature of 5,800 decrees Kelvin, as if it was hit by a constant barrage of 'lightning bolts' in the fashion of an electric arc furnace.

The electric energy interaction is not always distributed evenly, as you can see. In some cases enormous plasma flows erupt into gigantic 'prominences.' And in the still more 'active' regions the interaction raptures the plasma containment field around the Sun (generally termed the chromosphere) causing an explosive outpouring of charged particles in the form of solar flairs.  The violent process ends up 'ripping' a hole into the photosphere where the electric-arc heating of the sun takes place. The holes are termed the sunspots. The sunspots are typical indicators of extreme solar actions. The massive solar flairs that leave sunspots in their wake in turn deflect to some degree the ever-present cosmic radiation that the Earth is normally bombarded with. Thus, with fewer sunspots occurring (less solar activity), the climate on Earth gets colder. The cooling is due to the increased cloud formation that results from increased cosmic-ray-ionization in the troposphere. The cooling is further enhanced by the reduced climate moderation which results from the reduced greenhouse function that is 97% the function of water vapor (less then 3% comes from CO2). Cloud formation uses up the free water vapors and diminishes the greenhouse effect.

The sunspots also tell us clearly that the Sun is not heated from the inside out, but is surface heated, as the sunspots (the holes in the surface) enable us us look below the active layer to the lower layers of the Sun, which should be hotter and brighter if the Sun was heated from the inside out, but which are colder and darker as is clearly evident in the sample of a sunspot below.

Some of the inflowing currents that heat the Sun interact with the out-flowing plasma ions, called the solar wind. The resulting interaction accelerates the solar wind to 300-900 km/second, and thereby heats it up to millions of degrees, which among other effects creates the visible corona around the sun.

In real terms, the interaction of the plasma currents with the solar wind extends far beyond the visible corona, to double the distance to Pluto. Since our Sun is a rather mediocre star, the full corona is not visible to us. However in larger stars the electric current-interactions are much stronger and make their coronas visible to a much larger extent. These enormously powerful phenomena where the electric interaction becomes visible are called Nebulas. 

The nebulas were once deemed to be just clouds of hot gas. However, if this were so they would have grown cold and dark long ago, like a light bulb goes out when the power is turned off. However, this is not what we see happening. The nebulas typically keep glowing, possibly for millions of years (for all we know). 

There are numerous types of nebulas found in our galaxy, depending on the intensity and distribution of the electric flow patterns.

Also at times the feeding plasma filament are clearly visible, both in the form of large inflowing pattern and also in the more complex internal structures.

Electric currents in plasma structures typically become organized into magnetically self-contained filaments called Birkland currents, such as in the case of lightning.

We can see similar patterns of the Birkland currents flowing throughout in the galaxies. We can see such 'rivers' of electric currents in the image below in what appear to be a forms of very large current-carrying Birkland filaments that are clearly visible in  the more powerful galaxies, arranged along and within the spiral arms as can be seen in the example below.

We can see the same structures, though fainter, also in 'small' galaxies, as in the example below.

In order for a galaxy's electric engine to function, a galaxy must also have some sort of electric recycling path between the galactic plane and its center. This has indeed been observed, as in the example shown below in one of the large galaxies, a mighty collection of 400 billion stars.

One major question remains at this point. What powers the galaxies? Are they all self-powering? With the development of more capable space telescopes, especially in the infrared spectrum, it has become apparent that plasma-flow connections do exists that are arranged perpendicular to the galactic plane with current flow filament extending far into space from the center of the galaxy. As our the space telescope technology advances further, we will likely see many more such perpendicular plasma structures. The large filament structures shown below are in may ways  similar to those of the Planetary Nebula MZ3 presented above, except here the structures on the galactic scale (below) and is obviously infinitely larger is size. These current carrying filaments obviously do not end where the branch out into the expanse of space, but merely become invisible as they become dispersed across larger areas. In real terms these currents connect all galaxies within their clusters, and connect the clusters with each other, and in like manner the distantly connected groups of clusters. The simply doesn't exist a single speck of anything that is not in this sort of manner connected with the whole which is the universe. The spacing between the galactic entities appears to be governed by the magnetic characteristics of the interacting Birkland currents that extend throughout the entire universe. On the scale of the galaxies the rotation of the galaxies reflects the action of a homopolar motor, the same kind that your electric company uses to measure your household electric consumption. The universe is a place that is forever in motion, forever powered, forever lit up, and the motivating force appears to be the Principle itself that drives everything.

We can see the same Birkland-current patterns interacting with the galaxies that everyone has probably observed in lightning storms as shown below. Except on the galactic scale the current flows are gargantuan in size and in power and are continuous in terms of the time scale that we measure events with on Earth.

It appears that in the galactic space in which our tiny solar system is located, is pervaded with vast networks of plasma currents of varying intensity, most of which are far too weak to be visible. What these vast invisible flow patterns might look like if they were visible can be gleamed from the incredible maze of such structures that we behold in the high-powered nebulas, as per the sample below. Similar flow patterns evidently also exist throughout the galaxies themselves. 

Now suppose that one of the tiny spots in this maze is our Sun, as this is the type of maze that our galaxy evidently is (as shown above but below the visible range), and further suppose that the entire maze is constantly in motion, which a galaxy also is, then the incoming currents that power our Sun become subjected to a vast galactic 'weather' pattern of current flows. These are of course a part of the current flows that power the rest of the 200-400 billion solar systems in our galaxy, which are likewise always in motion. With these constantly shifting current-flow pattern the numerous short-term and long-term variances that we have experienced in the past on earth, evident in changes in solar activity, now come to light as the most natural occurrences with such effects as the sudden freeze over of Antarctica 5 million years ago, or the cooling trend that started the ice age cycles 2 million years ago, or the short warming spells that gave us the interglacial warm periods and the present Holocene interglacial period. Also within the Holocene interglacial period itself, we have seen many major climate changes such as the Holocene optimum, the medieval optimum, the Little Ice Age 'deep freeze', and the modern day cooling trend that began when the 24th solar cycle failed to start and the sunspots gradually diminished from mid-2006 all the way to the present, where the sunspots have disappeared almost completely. 

The loss of sunspots  has a double cooling effect on our climate. The loss of the corresponding solar fairs allow a greater portion of the cosmic background radiation to reach the Earth, which would otherwise be deflected solar fairs. The thereby increasing cosmic radiation increases the ionization of the water vapor in the troposphere, which increases the cloud formation. Increased cloudiness causes colder climates, as more clouds reflect more the sunlight back into space. It also causes a reduction of the greenhouse effect that moderates the climate on Earth, giving us colder winters and hotter summers. Clouds are formed from water vapor. The process diminishes the water vapor in the atmosphere and thereby diminishes the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is largely caused by the high energy absorption characteristic of water vapor. Its absorption spectrum covers a wide band of the Sun's energy spectrum, whereas CO2 covers only an extremely narrow band. In addition the CO2 effect is masked by the water-vapor greenhouse effect.   Professor Zbigniew Jaworowski, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection Warsaw, Poland, states in a recent paper that 97% of the combined greenhouse effect actually comes from water vapor, with the remaining 3% being contributed by all the other greenhouse gases of which mankind's contribution is rather minuscule (3-5%).
  - See: "The Ice Age Is Coming" ( pdf format). 

The bottom line is, that whatever effects the intensity of the cosmic background radiation reaching the Earth, affects our climate. Solar fairs have a large shielding effect in this regard. However it is often falsely assumed that the cosmic background radiation is a constant factor. It is far more likely that the cosmic background radiation is highly variable, reflecting the ever-changing plasma interaction within the vast plasma maze that a galaxy is, interspersed with numerous Nova and Supernova phenoma. This means that our climate on Earth is not only affected by what affects our Sun, but also by what affects the cosmic background radiation density directly. The cosmic radiation is deemed to be constant simply because we have no long-term historic records available that prove otherwise. However, now that the space age is upon us, we can now detect phenomena that no one ever dreamed off during the 'blind' ages. It is now possible to detect and map interstellar 'clouds' of cosmic radiation concentration and explore the interaction of the current local cloud, as shown below, with the heliosphere of our solar system that is created by the outflow of the solar winds.

See: NASA - ISBE (Interstellar Boundary Explorer) mission

When one looks at the vast galactic maze of interacting electric currents in plasma flows, and moving clouds of cosmic radiation, considering that the entire galaxy is itself constantly in motion, it would be enormously surprising if anything within it was constant at all.

The countless types of interacting current-flows in such vast maze of stars, which a galaxy is, all put together, determine our climate on Earth. 

One thing that modern space technology has shown beyond any reasonable doubt, is the evermore-widely acknowledged fact that the terrestrial climate is not determined by the minuscule actions that human activity can add to the scene of the astronomically large galactic influences on the Sun and the Earth. There is presently no such thing possible as a manmade climate change, nor will there likely be one in the foreseeable future. We simply don't have the power to compete with the power of the universe. Oh, if we only would have this power and affect our climate at will, then we might have a chance to avoid the next glaciations cycle of the Pleistocene Ice Age Epoch that we are currently in. But that hope takes us into the land of pure dreaming, doesn't it? Let's not bet our life on that.

So, what's happening in terms of the cosmic influence on the present? We are currently in a cycle of gradual reduction of the electric intensity affecting the Sun. Since sunspots are evidence of localized overload conditions that rupture the double-layer plasma sheet around the Sun and enable massive amounts of solar plasma to escape into space, causing solar flairs and magnetic storms, a reduction of the electric intensity affecting the solar system would naturally reflect itself in fewer sunspots. And that is exactly what we are seeing. According to a report by NASA-Science the number of spotless days have increased over the last 50 years, which makes the year 2008 a record year in this trend or reduced solar activity, and this already before the end of September.  If the trend continues to the end of the year, 2008 would become the least-energetic year on record going back to the beginning of the last century.  Without the sunspots that result from solar flaring we will have colder temperatures on Earth. The solar flairs and associated magnet storms have a shielding effect for our climate as they deflect a portion of the cosmic background radiation that increased cloud formation. A loss of this shielding causes colder climates.

In the same manner as we see a reduction of the sunspot activity, do we see a reduction of the intensity of the solar winds, which is likewise an effect of reduced galactic electric intensity. According to another report by NASA Science, the solar winds have become cooler over the last 50 years by 13%, which might be indicative that we are already in the boundary zone to next glaciation cycle of the of the Pleistocene Ice Age that has gripped the Earth for the last two million years. The current interglacial period is statistically at its end. The falling off, of the solar wind intensity and speed over the last 50 years may be early indication that transition period has already begun. The high speed of the solar winds, accelerated electrically into the million-miles-per-hour range, has slowed by 3% since measurements begun, and the density of the solar wind has faded by 20%. Likewise, as the result of the reduced solar-wind pressure the heliosphere that contains the solar system's internal 'space weather' has shrunk, which is determined by the solar winds. The heliosphere creates a large plasma-flow shield around the entire solar system, typically extending to twice the extend of the solar system itself (The blue sphere below), shielding it to some degree from the interstellar clouds of cosmic radiation.

With this protective shield now in the process of shrinking and loosing some of its density,  the Earth becomes increasingly bombarded with high-energy cosmic radiation. A 20% increase in high-energy electrons as a component of the cosmic radiation has been observed.  The superimposed lessening of solar flairs amplifies the effect of increased cosmic radiation reaching us, affecting cloud formation and the climate on Earth..

The increasing intensity of cosmic radiation has a large effect on the intensity of the cloud formation on Earth and thereby its climate. Increased cosmic radiation is causing increased ionization in the Earth's troposphere where the weather is created, which is reflected in more intense cloud formation and cooler climates as the increased cloudiness deflects a larger portion of the warmth of the sunlight back into space. Increased cloud formation also reduces the water-vapor content of the troposphere. Since the heat shielding effect of water vapor amounts to 97% of the global greenhouse shield (less than 3% comes from carbon gases), increased cosmic radiation thereby also reduces the global greenhouse effect. The result is that with the loss of the moderating function of the greenhouse effect, the global climate becomes increasingly colder overall, especially on cloudy days and hotter during sunny days. The overall effect is global climatic cooling, which indeed reflects the harsher winter that have been experienced in recent years leading up to 2008, and which are being experienced again as reported below.

Across the world there were reports of unseasonal snow and plummeting temperatures last month, from the American Great Plains to China, and from the Alps to New Zealand. China's official news agency reported that Tibet had suffered its "worst snowstorm ever". In the US, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month, and ranked it as only the 70th-warmest October in 114 years. (see: Telegragh.co.uk Nov 16/08)

 All of this is known and the cooling is already being felt in increasingly harsher winters throughout the world. What is unknown at the present is the extend to which the heliosphere shield us from cosmic radiation. One day the spacecrafts Voyager 1 and 2 will cross the threshold of the heliosphere to explore the cosmic radiation in the space beyond. (Image above - NASA Science)

The reduced electric environment that causes this global cooling is also reflected in the overall reduction of the Sun's magnetic field that reaches deep into space. The reduced intensity of inflowing electric currents has corresponding reduced intensity of electric currents flowing in the Sun resulting in the magnetic field effect. An overall reduction of 30% has been observed over that last 50 years.

It likewise cannot be determined what the future will be for the Earth as the result of the current cooling trend. The trend, if it continues, might result in another Little Ice Age as we had it in the 1600s when the sunspot-count was extremely low for a long period. The trend might also reverse itself before we get to this point. The trend might also become more intense and cause the statistically expected transition to a new Ice Age. The Earth is currently in the grip of the Pleistocene Ice Age that began 2 million years ago and is interrupted every (roughly) 100,000 years for brief period of warm climates (the interglacial climate) lasting (roughly) 12,000 years. The current interglacial has statistically run its course and is about to end. Since we are dealing with very long timeframes here that are governed by galactic events it is not possible to predict the day or year when the next transition will begin, but we do know from ice core data that the cyclical Ice Age has faithfully returned for many hundreds of thousands of years. During the glaciation period the yearly global average temperature could drop as much as 20 decrees centigrade, eliminating almost all outdoor agriculture. In this period much of the northern landmass will become covered with ice thousands of feet thick. All of this is determined by movements within the galaxy. However, for the first time in the ongoing development of life on this planet mankind, as the most advanced species ever, has created the technological and scientific potential to survive the coming Ice Age unharmed. Whether mankind will utilize its potential to create for itself an Ice Age Renaissance that takes the sting out of the long cold spell remains yet to be seen. failing that, much of mankind will likely become extinct by it.  The principle that enables us to succeed is none other than the Principle of the General Welfare and beyond that the Principle of Universal Love. On these two principles rests the survival of mankind in the ever changing universe that has turned the Earth into an ice planet for most of its last 2 million years. Of course, since the universe is a largely electrically active universe, we might yet discover how to harness the galactic electric flows to power also our human world on this planet. And the time for that might not be too far off.

 Images Source: various NASA sites, and Hubble Heritage Gallery

  Other Sources: http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/00archive.htm - Thunderbolts 

Relevant Links:

Twinkle, twinkle electric star

More on the electric nature of the Crab Nebula

Nebulas

The electric nature of pulsars

Electric Supernovae