[MUSIC] JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST: You know about the three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas.
But what do you know about the fourth state of matter- plasma?
Plasma is sort of a gas, but it has tiny particles that have an electrical charge.
Plasma happens when gas gets heated to a very high temperature and the atoms lose their electrons.
That means plasma particles can be controlled by magnetic fields.
Plasma is the most abundant state of matter in the universe.
Nearly all visible matter in the universe, including the sun, the stars and the space between them exists as plasma.Studying plasma helps scientists understand things like solar flares from the sun and the behavior of black holes.
There are some examples of plasma closer to home.
Lightning is actually a flash of plasma.
And the glowing colors of neon signs are created by plasma and so is the light inside a fluorescent bulb.
For more information about states of matter, check out the Science Trek website.
You'll find it at Science Trek.org