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This single image, taken with an exposure time of one-eighth of a second, shows a plasma ball. A plasma ball is a sealed glass globe containing an inert gas. The gas inside the ball is close to atmospheric pressure and is highly energized, using electricity, which causes the gas to enter a plasma state, as in the image. When atoms of a gas are energized such as these, they heat up to a very high temperature, causing the electrons to break free from the parent atoms of the gas. Since these parent atoms are missing electrons, they’re positively charged. This combination of positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons creates the plasma.
Inside the plasma ball, there is a spherically shaped electrode. Since the gas is inert and thus has a full valence shell, it doesn’t react with the electrode’s surface. During the operation of the plasma ball, the electrode becomes negatively charged with a high voltage that oscillates at a frequency of about 35 kilohertz which generates an oscillating current. The high voltage causes the gas to break down and conduct electricity while the high frequency enables the flow of electrons to pass through the glass and into the air through capacitive coupling. The charged electrons are attracted to the Earth, which has a neutral charge. Therefore, if you touch the globe with your hand, you’re creating an easier pathway for the electrons to travel to the Earth, causing the filaments to move to the location of your hand.
