If one of the ribbons in the plait is twisted, it gives the resulting particle an electric charge.

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That texture came via waffle jacquards, wool, weave, plait, pleat, speckles and swirls.

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Of course, one of the reasons Plait is skeptical is just the fact that the events are so rare.

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You can see a video of part of that successful launch falling to Earth below, courtesy of Phil Plait.

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One other interesting thing about this finding, as Phil Plait notes, is that a portion of the research was crowdfunded.

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Another possibility, notes astronomer Phil Plait, is a supernova.

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