Electronic device turned on in presence of tesla coil

[AdamK9]

I had a small, about 1 foot secondary tall tesla coil with about 3 inch leaders coming off the toroid, and when i turned it on, I had an LED bike blinker light that would turn on when I would turn on the tesla coil. The blinker was about a foot away from the coil. I was wondering if anyone knows why it might have turned on.

 

[vk6kro]

Van der Graaf generators produce similar effects.

It is due to the very high electric field being generated and any nearby conductor that is not adequately shielded can have a large voltage induced in it.

Such devices can destroy electronics and need to be kept well away from video recorders, TV sets, computers etc.