Abstract
CORONA or point discharge in the atmosphere occurs at the tips of earthed pointed objects when the vertical electric potential gradient near the ground rises to some hundreds of Vm−1; an example is St Elmo's fire. Because there are always some ions present—from cosmic rays and traces of radioactivity—the enhanced potential gradient near the point leads to ionization by collision and a current passes to earth through the point. If a metal point at the top of a pole about 10m high is connected to earth through a galvanometer a direct current of some microamperes is sometimes observed1.
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References
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HUTCHINSON, W., STROMBERG, I. New Pulse Technique for measuring Point Discharge in the Atmosphere. Nature 222, 654–655 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/222654a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/222654a0
