OCR Text |
Show What Lightning Is. It has generally hour, supposed that tho luminous material forming the olectric spark Is mado up of minute particles torn from tho poles of the discharge nnd heated to a white heat by it. But a Russian oxporimenter, Somonoff, reports to tho Paris Academy Acad-emy of Sciences tho results of experl' monts whloh show thnt tho poloB sut for no such dismemberment, and that tho heated material comes solely from tho air or gas through which the spark passes. In a lightning flash the air is simply heated momentarily tc Jncandescenco along tho path of the discharge. |