Flames of Fire
The voice
of the Lord is
powerful;
The voice
of the Lord is full of
majesty...
The voice
of the Lord flashes
forth flames of fire.
The voice
of the Lord shakes the
wilderness;
(Ps. 29:4-8
ESV)
We have all heard the story
of Benjamin Franklin sending up a kite during a thunder storm and being
shocked through a key tied to the kite string. But I was
surprised years ago to find out that this electricity is available on
clear, cloudless days as well. Which brings to mind another
story from our family chronicles.
Back in the 80's (last
century, to you youngsters), our middle school-age son decided for his
science project to investigate this atmospheric electricity by making a
static electricity motor.
He worked hard for weeks on
the contraption, the design gotten from Scientific American, I
believe. It consisted of a circular piece of plastic about 10
inches in diameter, balanced very carefully on a tiny ball-bearing
axis. (If the paper doesn't have room for the picture, go to
the web site listed at the end to see it).
We gathered the gang - our 2
sons, my wife, and myself - in the front yard and launched a red
weather balloon. It was about 4 feet in diameter and full of
helium. The tether was made of fishing line, with small
copper wire tied along side, plus a static electricity collector made
up of narrow strips of metal screen right under the balloon.
We reeled out about 200 or
300 feet of the line and wire, with the plan to connect the wire to the
electric motor when we got it up. We tried connecting it at
several heights, with nothing happening, when suddenly, our
younger son, cried out, "Ouch! Mom, you shocked me!"
I shouted, "Ya hoo - it's
working!" and about that time our older son yelled, "It's
turning!" And we watched as the wheel gradually turned faster
and faster while he took notes on the experiment.
How much power is available
from this source? The numbers are quite impressive on one
scale (volts) but very weak on the other (amps). The voltage
goes up about 100 volts (more in winter) every yard in altitude (100
yards = 10,000 volts), but the current is in the microampere range -
enough to turn a very delicate motor, but not enough to power anything
useful from the motor.
There are different theories
about where the electricity comes from. The one that makes
sense to me is that it is from the friction of air molecules upon each
other as they move with the wind. There is an article on
Wikipedia about it that is referenced on the web page listed below.
This source of energy is
responsible for the amazing display of flashes of lightning that come
in thunder storms, another wonderful example of the intricacies of the
creation of our God.
Give
thanks to the Lord of lords...
To Him who alone
does
great wonders...
To Him who by
understanding made
the heavens,
for His
steadfast love
endures forever;
(Ps.
136:3-5 ESV)
Wikipedia
article on atmospheric electricity
Send
your ideas and stories to me at BrightMysteries@verizon.net and visit
the website for more information and pictures at
http://BrightMysteries.com. For dial-up connections, a faster site is
http://tinyurl.com/BrtMys .