Artificial lightning - how to make?

Question

Difficult? Easy? Any limit on size?

I think the best i've seen is an abandon lighthouse at a tourist resort, just north of the city where i live. Anything bigger possible?

Answer 1

Lightning is just electrical sparks ... HIGH VOLTAGE sparks



here are some ways to make sparks of differing lengths but all high voltage

kelvin thunder storm ( water droplets - just like real lightning does)

Whimshurst

Van de Graaf Generator

Cockcroft - Walton multiplier

Marx generator

Car Ignition coil

The usual demonstrations are from TESLA COILS



It is not difficult to make some sort of sparks but anything over about 1 " starts to get dangerous / painful



HIGH VOLTAGES KILL - do not attempt any high voltage device unless you have a good understanding of electricity



It is usually accepted that at high voltages ( +500V ) + 30mA is a potential killer



I don't think there is a limit on the size and certainly, 50 - 80 feet is regularly demonstrated





I saw some meantionion of 800 ft in some Russian experimental establish ment



( My Tesla does about 1 1/2 inches from a 12 volt battery .... but it is only three inches high

http://photos.yahoo.com/jmshwlls)

Answer 2

particular, on a small scale. A Van Der Graaf generator is able to producing as much as two million volts of skill between 2 metallic spheres. This leads to an arc as much as approximately 15 ft long between the two spheres. one in all those generator is on show on the Museum of technology in Boston, Mass., and that they do many shows on a daily basis the place they show the concepts of static electrical energy and lightning. i've got seen the teach and it fairly is particularly cool. An operator sits in a good sized steel poultry cage and conducts countless demonstrations with countless metallic products on the degree. At one factor, the cage itself is at floor skill, with the arcs amazing the cage, however the operator is secure. it fairly is for example the thank you to be secure in a lightning hurricane once you're surrounded by some thing metallic which will short the lightning to floor (like a motor vehicle or a plane). Scientists have additionally experimented with inflicting lightning to strike at a undeniable factor whilst circumstances are precise for lightning strikes. They degree the static electrical energy interior the air and, whilst the aptitude is powerful for lightning to probably happen, they hearth off a kind rocket that has a copper cord strung at the back of it this is terminated at floor skill. It does not constantly artwork. yet, they have been in a position to hearth the rocket into the air and have the cord habit the lightning alongside the cord to the factor on the floor the place it fairly is terminated.

Answer 3

LIGHTNING or LIGHTING???



If you want to make a good arcing circuit through air to simulate lightning, locate an old NEON lighting transformer (tesla coil) of either 9k or 15k volts. From the secondary leads of the transformer, connect two vertical copper tubes approx. 3' long and no greater than .5 inches apart. You may need to make minor adjustments in order to get the arc to rise. The result is a nice Jacob's Ladder.

Answer 4

yes... build a van der graaf generator and run it off a truck motor,,,