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St. Elmo's fire
St. Elmo's fire (also St. Elmo's light〔(The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online )〕) is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a corona discharge from a sharp or pointed object in a strong electric field in the atmosphere (such as those generated by thunderstorms or created by a volcanic eruption).
St. Elmo's fire is named after St. Erasmus of Formia (also called St. Elmo, one of the two Italian names for St. Erasmus, the other being St. Erasmo), the patron saint of sailors. The phenomenon sometimes appeared on ships at sea during thunderstorms and was regarded by sailors with religious awe for its glowing ball of light, accounting for the name.〔Eyers, Jonathan (2011). ''Don't Shoot the Albatross!: Nautical Myths and Superstitions''. A&C Black, London, UK. ISBN 978-1-4081-3131-2.〕 Sailors may have considered St. Elmo's fire as a good omen (as in, a sign of the presence of their patron saint).〔Bergreen, Laurence. Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe. New York: Morrow, 2003. Print.〕
== Characteristics ==
Physically, St. Elmo's fire is a bright blue or violet glow, appearing like fire in some circumstances, from tall, sharply pointed structures such as lightning rods, masts, spires and chimneys, and on aircraft wings or nose cones. St. Elmo's fire can also appear on leaves and grass, and even at the tips of cattle horns.〔Heidorn, K., Ph.D. ''(Weather Elements: The Fire of St. Elmo )''. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.〕 Often accompanying the glow is a distinct hissing or buzzing sound. It is sometimes confused with ball lightning.
In 1751, Benjamin Franklin hypothesized that a pointed iron rod would light up at the tip during a lightning storm, similar in appearance to St. Elmo's fire.〔Van Doren, Carl. ''Benjamin Franklin'', The Viking Press, New York, 1938. p. 159. Quoted text from May 1751 letter published in ''Gentleman's Magazine'' at http://www.math.tamu.edu/~stecher/489/Ben/science.shtml.()〕〔Additional reference may be made from Yale University's (The Papers of Benjamin Franklin ) collection〕
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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