This is due to the interstellar magnetic field of deep space.
2.
Dust grains are not spherical and tend to align to interstellar magnetic fields, preferentially polarising starlight that passes through dust clouds.
3.
The plasma is composed of ions ( mostly protons ) and electrons, which are tied to the interstellar magnetic field and therefore resist collapse.
4.
In his primary field of study, however, Verschuur " pioneered the measurement of the interstellar magnetic field using the 21-cm Zeeman effect technique . " A thing which, according to Virginia Trimble, for the first time allowed astronomers to " measure magnetic strengths and their place-to-place variations with some confidence ."