Lightning ball

[Marijn]

Ok i don't know if you ppl know these http://storeforknowledge.com/stores/163/images/lightning%20ball%20large.jpg
How do these work?

[Marijn]

Nobody??? annybody??? HELP!!!!!!!!

[PMASwork]

A complete guess-

The "core" is brought to a voltage much higher than earth ground. The surface of the glass ball has a relatively evenly distributed lump resistance back to ground. The glass ball is filled with soemething (maybe air, maybe not). The voltage is high enough for that something to break down and ignite over the distance form the core to the glass.

Due to the distributed return resistance, you see several current paths ignite at once. The net return reistance must be fluxuating (due to the discharge???), thus the paths are constantly moving.

Now, if you are grounded, and you touch the ball, you have provided a path to gorund that is much less resistive than any other given glass-to-ground path. Virtually all the current goes through you; thus the visual ignition extends only form the core to your hand.

Just a guess.