Mysterious Saint Elmo’s Fire
[caption id="attachment_3371" align="alignright" width="330"] Coronal discharge in plasma - www.Lucnix.be[/caption] Saint Elmo's Fire is far from being a variety of combustion associated with a heaven bound Muppet. Rather, it is an historic phenomenon observed by sailors at sea, and is named after the supposed patron saint of sailors, Erasmus.ยน Saint Elmo's Fire has also appeared to pilots in connection with aircraft wings. Rarely, it is seen elsewhere. The single feature each of these occurrences shares in common is sharp or pointed surfaces. The Nature of the Beast Such surfaces do not provide fuel to some conflagration. In fact, they are generally metallic, and are not consumed at all. Saint Elmo's Fire is an electrical and atmospheric phenomenon. It comes about because of a coronal discharge of electricity that leads surrounding…