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St. Elmo's Fire is an electro- luminescent discharge caused by the ionization of the air during thunderstorms inside of a strong electric field. Although referred to as "fire," St. Elmo's Fire is in fact a kind of plasma caused by a massive atmospheric potential differences.
St. Elmo's Fire is named after Erasmus of Formiae (also called St. Elmo), the patron saint of sailorA sailor is a member of the crew of a ship or boat. The term may comprise anyone from an admiral in the navy to a person who goes out yachting at weekends as a hobby. A sailor is also specifically an enlisted member of a naval force. The term can be useds (who held its appearance to be auspicious). Physically, it is a bright bluish-white glow, appearing like fire in some circumstances, often in double or triple jets, from tall, sharply-pointed structures such as mastA mast is a pole which holds a sail of a boat, see mast (sailing) A mast is also a pole or lattice tower which carries an antenna or aerial. In agriculture, a mast is a crop of fruit or nuts (wild or cultivated) that ripen at the same time.s, spires and chimneys.
It is named such because the phenomenonA phenomenon (plural: phenomena is an observable event, especially something special. Kant's use of phenomenon Phenomenon has a specialized meaning in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant who contrasted the term 'Phenomenon' with Noumenon'. Phenomena constitut commonly occurs at the mastA mast is a pole which holds a sail of a boat, see mast (sailing) A mast is also a pole or lattice tower which carries an antenna or aerial. In agriculture, a mast is a crop of fruit or nuts (wild or cultivated) that ripen at the same time.heads of shipA ship like a boat, is a vehicle designed for passage or transportation by water. A ship usually has sufficient size to carry its own boats, such as lifeboats, dinghies, or runabouts. A rule of thumb saying (though it doesn't always apply) goes: "a boat cs during thunderstorms at sea. Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin ( January 17, 1706 — April 17, 1790) was an American journalist, publisher, author, philanthropist, abolitionist, public servant, scientist, librarian, diplomat, and inventor. One of the leaders of the American Revolution, he was well kn correctly observed in 1749Events While in debtor's prison, John Cleland writes Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure . Released from prison, the book was published in London, England. Immediately, the Church of England asked the British Secretary of State to stop the progress that it is electric in nature. St. Elmo's Fire can also appear between the tips of cattle horns during a thunderstorm, or sharp objects in the middle of a tornado, but is not the same phenomenon as ball lightning, although they are related. In ancient Greece, the appearance of a single one was called Helena and two were called Pollux and Castor.