Figure 1 (IMAGE) American Physical Society Caption Bird's eye view of a gravity crystal using mm-sized aluminum spheres placed on a conductive bowl-shaped surface. High voltage from a Van de Graaff generator was applied across the bottom surface (graphite) and a transparent conductive window placed a few cm above the balls. Once charged, the aluminum spheres repel one another, eventually forming a periodic pattern with both short- and long-range order. Credit Alexander Bataller Usage Restrictions Alexander Bataller License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.