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Re: balloons



Tesla List wrote:
> 
> >From pierson-at-msd26.enet.dec-dot-comTue Aug 27 22:43:54 1996
> Date: Tue, 27 Aug 96 11:24:50 EDT
> From: pierson-at-msd26.enet.dec-dot-com
> To: mail11:  ;
> Cc: pierson-at-msd26.enet.dec-dot-com
> Subject: balloons
> 
> > I ended up with 5 balloons that all
> >rolled with the eccentric property. Then I noticed the next
> >strange effect of which I find fascinating. I held one of
> >the balloons up to a light and saw a record or picture of
> >the streamers that were there!
> 
>         Speculation:
>         The streamers images were captured on the skin of the balloon by an
>         effect analagous to 'lichtenburg figures', which i ASSume to be
>         analagous to that producing 'fulgurites' in sandy soil from lighting.
> 
>         (has anyone done tesla coil fulgurites???  8)>>)
> 
>         Unable to guess for the 'heavier', erratic rolling might mean that the
>         'skin' was nolonger uniformly flexible, if the discharge had modified
>         the chemistry of the balloon skin...
> 
>         regards
>         dwp


All,

If high voltage electricity can't find a conductive medium, it often hugs 
and travels along dielectric interfacial areas.  This has been known for 
some time and Ken Sholders and others are investigating the phenomena 
with regards to switching circuits!

This usually explains surface/insulator electric paths.

Richard Hull, TCBOR