Art & Science: Plasma Globes

There is one type of science based art that I never really considered to be "art" until recently when I was trying to think of an awesome project idea for the proposal in this class. Plasma Globes!!! These are so old school, but they are the absolute epitome of art and science together. For starters, they are beautiful to look at, but they are also very interactive and educational science wise. I have always thought plasma balls were cool, but I didn't realize how much goes into making these things work until I did a little research. I found out that plasma balls are clear glass orbs filled with a mixture of rare  gases with a high-voltage electrode in the center of the globe. Plasma filaments then extend out from the inner electrode to the outer glass globe, giving the appearance of multiple constant beams of colored light, which follow your finger or fingers as you touch the outer part of the globe. Pretty cool huh! I also found out that the average plasma globe is only about eight inches tall and/or wide and that the biggest ones are only about twenty two inches tall and/or wide. Also, those bigger globes are only available in museums and are made of a much thicker more durable glass than the average store bought globes, which helps to retain the noble gases for many more years than the smaller ones. Anyway, I just thought I would give my hats off to the amazing, wonderful, awesome, science based, interactive, rarely recognized art called the plasma globe!