2005 HS Photo Contest Pictures
2005 High School Photo Contest Winners
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Honorable Mention
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Contrived Category
A standard, clear light bulb can be used to produce an effect identical to the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights. In the Aurora’s case, high-energy charged particles from outer space (predominantly from the Sun) strike the Earth’s atmosphere, ionizing the atmospheric gases resulting in brilliant colors being emitted. In this photograph, a vacuum tube Tesla coil is used to generate radio frequency energy in the surrounding area. The light bulb is grounded and placed within the strong electromagnetic field of the coil. This energy excites the gas inside the bulb and, when enough energy is added, the gas becomes ionized and emits light. The gases contained in the bulb determine what colors are produced.
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