What do stars, planets and people have in common? According to the theory of electromagnetism, any electrical current gives rise to a magnetic field, which can be found in stars, planets (including Earth), and even human bodies.

Astronomers have found that magnetic fields pervade the universe through a combination of telescopic observations and theoretical modeling An international conference held at Western on May 17-19, entitled “Magnetic Fields: Core Collapse to Young Stellar Objects,” brought together 70 of the world’s leading researchers on magnetism in stars and star-forming regions.

Physics & Astronomy professor Shantanu Basu, chair of the organizing committee, points out: “We know of four fundamental forces in the universe, and after gravity, the electromagnetic force is the most important in the formation of stars. Magnetic fields can explain important features of stars and their surrounding disks. These protoplanetary disks are the places where planets like our own are created.”

Over the course of three days, astronomers presented and debated new results of magnetic field measurements and calculations of star formation. In the end, there was consensus that magnetic fields determine the basic properties and even the very existence of protoplanetary disks.