Sounds very cool. I'll keep looking. If you look for St. Elmo's fire on
youtube, there are several very nice videos of SEF around cockpit windows on
airplanes.
He "may have become the patron of sailors because he is said to have
continued preaching even after a thunderbolt struck the ground beside him.
This prompted sailors, who were in danger from sudden storms and lightning,
to claim his prayers. The electrical discharges at the mastheads of ships
were read as a sign of his protection and came to be called "Saint Elmo's
Fire".[5][6]"
Quite a guy. Worthy of the veneration of TCers, or at least we may quaff a
flagon in his name form time to time.
---Carl
-----Original Message-----
From: Phillip Strauss
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 10:20 AM
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
Subject: Re: [TCML] Ball Lightning
Hello Carl,
I have seen St. Elmo's fire when driving during a thunderstorm in the UK. It
manifested on the top of the radio antenna on the car bonnet (hood), a
beautiful blue coronal glow. Vey much a once in a lifetime experience.
Regards.
Phillip.
_____________________________________________________________________________
14 Broad Street, Stamford, Lincs PE9 1PG
Tel: 01780 753008
On Wednesday, 22 January 2014, 17:05, Carl <cn8@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Ball lightning terminology--we are talking about ball lightning in this
thread. St. Elmo's fire is totally different. It is a corona discharge on
a tall object due to the electric field from an overhead thunderstorm. I
have never seen it (major life bummer) but it apparently looks about like
Tesla coil streamers, but directed upward and not so active. I once heard
it from the top of a flagpole--a series of pulses or a low tone varying in
pitch, changing abruptly when lightning struck anywhere in the area. It was
daytime, so I couldn't see a discharge. Generally speaking, if St. Elmo's
fire is present in your immediate environment, you are in major trouble. I
have no idea who St. Elmo was, but apparently the name was given by mariners
on the old sailing ships when the corona appeared on the rigging and mast
tops. It would be really cool to see it, subject of course to the caveat
two sentences ago.
---Carl
-----Original Message-----
From: mddeming@xxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2014 8:17 AM
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [TCML] Ball Lightning
Fascinating.
"Be careful when drawing conclusions from a single observation." - Ms Ruth
Hennessy 1957
(my 8th grade science teacher)
Matt D
-----Original Message-----
From: dave pierson <dave_p@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tesla <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tue, Jan 21, 2014 9:13 am
Subject: [TCML] Ball Lightning, actually Re: Geek Group HV Fire
Can you revisit this link, the article is mixed up with another
causing a confused mess.