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Illustration of St. Elmo's fire on a ship at sea Electrostatic discharge flashes across the windscreen of a KC-10 cockpit.. St. Elmo's fire (also called witchfire or witch's fire) [1] is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a corona discharge from a rod-like object such as a mast, spire, chimney, or animal horn [2] in an atmospheric electric field.
Pilots evacuating in preparation for Hurricane Idalia observed bright blue light outside their aircraft, an event called St. Elmo’s fire. Here’s what causes it.
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". [36] [37] Thus, Saint Elmo's Fire was usually good luck in traditional sailor's lore, but because it is a sign of electricity in the air and interferes with compass readings, sailors sometimes regarded it as an ...
English: Airmen experience St. Elmo's fire while flying a KC-10 aircraft into a thundercloud from an undisclosed location, March 22, 2017. St. Elmo's fire occurs when the electric field around the aircraft ionizes air molecules, producing sparks.
The Royal Air Force’s 99 Squadron has released a video showing the phenomenon known as St Elmo’s Fire developing at the nose of a C-17 Globemaster plane during a recent nighttime flight near ...
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Some ghost lights such as St. Elmo's fire or the shiranui have been explained as optical phenomena of light emitted through electrical activity. Other types may be due to combustion of flammable gases, ball lightning , meteors , torches and other human-made fires, the misperception of human objects, and pranks.
This week marks the 35th anniversary of the release of St. Elmo's Fire. For some, that milestone might rekindle thoughts of a certain formative time of their lives, and 80's nostalgia. For others ...