Tesla coil question

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Matus-at-snet-dot-net by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <matus-at-snet-dot-net>

I was wondering if anyone could explain to me (a person of limited knowledge of
electricity) how exactly a tesla coil lights up a flourescent bulb through the
air.  I have a good basic understanging of electricity, but things like 'LC
tank circuits' and RMS are beyond me.  I imagine that when a Tesla coil is
operating it creates a 'capacitive' effect from the disharge terminal to the
ground, which is why many pictures of coils firing have bolts discharging right
into the ground.  So I think that a capacitor includes a voltage potential
across a dialectric, in the case of a tesla coil then is the dialectric the air
and the terminals the top of the coil and the ground?  If this is the case,
then a coil lights up a flourescent tube by immersing it into a voltage
gradient, where the higher up you are the grater the voltage?  Is that the
case?  I am just guessing here, so I may be _way_ off.  Any help in
understanding this is much appreciated.  Thanks
 
Matus