Where does plasma come from?
In outer space, there are free protons and electrons that formed after the Big Bang and that may have never been a part of any atom. Much of the interstellar and intergalactic gas may be made of such basic plasma. However, once atoms and molecules have formed, an input of energy is necessary for breaking them apart. This input of energy can come from various sources and thus, there are many ways by which plasma can be formed. Inside stars it is gravitation that pushes atoms together and smashes them so hard that they cannot remain intact. Thus, there is a sea of atomic nuclei, especially protons (hydrogen nuclei), and electrons. Inside stars gravitation is so powerful that it fuses protons together and produces helium nuclei (made of two protons and one or two neutrons), light and neutrinos. (Read more about stars here and here.) In case of the Earth’s ionosphere, the region of the atmosphere at heights of above 80 km (50 miles), the gas is ionized by the ultraviolet light coming from
