NASA astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates electrostatic forces using charged water droplets and a knitting needle made of Teflon. This series of overlapping frames from Feb. 19, 2025, displays the unique attraction-repulsion properties of Teflon and charged droplets, similar to how charged particles from the Sun behave when they come in contact with Earth’s magnetic field. Highly energetic particles from space that collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere create the aurora borealis.
Explore more of what Pettit has coined “science of opportunity.”
Image credit: NASA/Don Pettit
NASA宇航员唐·佩蒂特利用带电水滴和一根由特氟龙制成的编织针演示静电力。2025年2月19日拍摄的这一组重叠画面展示了特氟龙与带电水滴之间独特的吸引与排斥特性，类似于来自太阳的带电粒子在接触地球磁场时的行为。来自太空的高能粒子与大气中的原子和分子发生碰撞，会产生北极光。
图片来源：NASA/DonPettit
