This mysterious and beautiful natural phenomenon that is noticed in ancient times - St. Elmo's fire, or the stars of the Dioscuri.
St. Elmo's fire have the form of luminous beams or brushes, resulting in the sharp ends of tall objects (towers, spiers, towers, lonely trees, sharp ridges of rocks, and so on. N.).Fires can also occur on the plants at the propellers and aircraft antennas.This corona discharge.It occurs when a sharp inhomogeneity of the electric field at a very high surface curvature (pointy objects).
Lights Elmo formed in the moments when the electric field at the tip of up to 500 V / m and above, often during a thunderstorm or when it approached, storm at sea, and in the winter during a blizzard.
There are various descriptions of Fire, from "dancing" to the flame of the fireworks is usually blue.The flame does not burn and does not cause a fire.Sometimes it is accompanied by a hissing sound, which gives rise to the history of the presence of spirits.
its name, is the illumination received from the Church of St. Elmo in Italy.The church was named in honor of St. Elmo (Erasmus) - patron saint of sailors in the Catholic religion.Sometimes, before the storm, the cross on the steeple of the church begins to glow and glow bluish flames.
According to another version the lights often gathered at the cathedral in the town of St. Elmo elmstein (Elmo Rocks) in the romantic mountains of Rhineland-Palatinate, South-West Germany.(In our churches, St. Elmo's fire is not observed, apparently for physical reasons: the shape of the dome, gold plating).
The storm and the storm in the sea - a phenomenon terrible and unwelcome .
Sailors believed that the lights Elmo - a message from God sailors - St. Elmo, who took the ship under his wing.Since the lights usually appeared when the peak of the storm is over, the sailors were happy and they perceived as a happy sign.Sailors believed that if at the end of the ship's masts were these lights, the ship would return to their home port.But the legend that links the phenomenon with the very Elmo, the patron saint of sailors in the Mediterranean.
say that Elm died at sea during a violent storm, before the death of promising sailors that they appear in one form or another, to tell whether they are destined to be saved.Shortly thereafter, on the mast of a strange glow that sailors took as a sign of the saint.
It was believed that the appearance of these lights - good luck.Sailors believed that the soul of the deceased comrade returning to the ship to prevent distress.
call them differently: in Portugal - Corpo Santo, England - Coma Santo, in the countries of the Mediterranean - the lights of St. Nicholas and St. Clare.In ancient Greece, this phenomenon nazyvalos lights Kastora and Polluksa (Pollux) and the stars of the Dioscuri - the name of the mythical bratev twin Dioscuri.Zeus dal them immortality, prevrativ samye two bright stars in the constellation Gemini.
Castor and Pollux were the Argonauts.During Argonauts storm arose, and Orpheus prayed to the gods of Samothrace.The wind died down, and to the heads of the Dioscuri dropped two stars.And the brothers Dioscuri were considered in the ancient patron of sailors caught in a storm.And the appearance on the masts of ships before the storm "Stars Dioscuri" was considered Gemini meeting with their famous sister Elena.In ancient Greece, a single glow called "Helen" and the double "Castor and Pollux."We believe that these lights - fireworks that suits Elena, when she comes to visit the brothers - the Castor and Pollux.And in the ancient world, this phenomenon was regarded as a sign of the heavenly, and not evil, but good.And not just on the sea.
mention the phenomenon in world history and literature .
mention of these phenomena are in the "Commentaries of Caesar" - a book about an African war, where Julius Caesar wrote that "one night Iron Island copies of the fifth legion seemed to fire."Another famous documentary observations of Lights St. Elmo refers to the days of Carthage.The famous military leader Hannibal (247 -183 years. BCE) made the crossing of the Alps, to a sudden attack on the Roman army.During one of the night march on the points copies soldiers suddenly flashed bright flames.The impression was that the soldiers did not carry weapons, and thousands of bright torches.Initially, all were frightened and began to extinguish the fire, it was impossible.The flame did not burn like ordinary light, but only a little crackling.
Hannibal immediately declared that it was "divine sign" that portends a great victory.The vision and the words of the beloved commander inspired Carthaginian soldiers.In 216 BC.e., the Carthaginians in the Battle of Cannae (in south-eastern Italy) pitched exceeding their largest Roman army.This victory came in military history as one of the shining examples of military strategy.
It is possible that was burning and do not burn the bush, where God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, was none other than the lights of St. Elmo.
flame that does not burn, it could inspire some to oppose the ancient Egypt.
Roman philosopher Seneca, two thousand years ago, described how during storms descended from heaven, the stars, like the birds, sit on the masts of ships to the delight of the sailors - it was considered a good omen.But "good" were the only pair of lights - the stars Castor and Pollux.If you light up only one star - the star Helen - it was considered a bad omen.
St. Elmo's fire described in the logbooks of famous travelers and explorers Columbus and Magellan, in the works of Shakespeare and Melville, as well as in the writings of Charles Darwin, during his time as a sailor on HMS "Beagle".
The product Melville's "Moby Dick," Ishmael observes: "All gnocchi vian Jews were crowned with pale lights, and three tall masts on top of which over tridents lightning stood three white fiery tongue, silently burning in saturated gray air like three gigantic waxcandles before the altar. "
surprise mysterious lights before we find in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" (Act I, Scene 3).Senator Cicero asks conspirators against Caesar's helmet, he saw the miraculous.The helmet meets:
Some servant - him in person you know
Top left raised his hand, and suddenly
She twenty torches lit,
not smoldering fire and not feeling ...
Even Shakespeare Fires St.. Elmo, mentioned in "The Tempest", where Ariel, a spirit of the air, (I, 2, 198 -201 line) tells Prospero as he flashed volatile lights on mast on the bowsprit, the ship aloft.
But the description of the same natural phenomenon - from the "Old Isergil" Gorky: "And in the steppe gave ... as if lurking, hiding in itself something small blue flashing lights. That here and there theyIt was instant and died, just a few people scattered across the steppe far away from each other, looking for something, lighting matches which the wind blew out immediately. It was a very strange blue flames, alludes to something fabulous. "
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Here is what the son of Christopher Columbus' sailors are no longer afraid of the storm, when shown, St. Elmo's fire.In 1493, in October ... at night, when a strong thunderstorm and heavy rain St. Elmo's fire appeared on the mast in the form of seven lit candles.At the sight of this wonderful phenomenon of the crew began to pray and sing hymns of thanksgiving. "
other famous explorer - Magellan (c. 1480-1521) reported in his memoirs that the violent storm, when ships and sailors were in danger, St. Elmo lit their candles on the masts, had sent blessings travelers.
In 1695, in the Mediterranean Sea, the Balearic Islands, during a lightning storm sailors saw in different places of the ship for more than thirty fires Elmo.The large mast of the fire has reached half a meter in height.The captain sent a sailor with an order to remove it.Upstairs, he yelled that the fire hisses like a rocket from raw powder.An impressive painting in 1902 saw the sailors ship "Moravia".Being at the Cape Verde Islands, the captain wrote in his ship's log: "For an hour in the sea blazed lightning.Ropes, mastheads, knock-yards - all light.It seemed that on the quarterdeck every four feet hung a lighted lamp, and at the ends of the masts and yard-ray lit up the bright lights. "Glow was followed by an unusual noise: "Like the myriad cicadas settled in a snap or crackle burning fallen trees and dry grass ...ยป
There is a theory that the cause of the collapse of the legendary airship "Hindenburg" (in honor of the German President Paul von Hindenburg) became St. Elmo's Firethat hydrogen and cause a fire.
phenomenon in the mountains .
In the mountains the sky is closer, there are times that you go directly into the cloud, you can touch with his hands.
There's this phenomenon - St. Elmo's fire - especially common.You can watch the glow around the heads of the people, something resembling halos that izobrazhayut nA kartinah with religious subjects.Sometimes you can see the ends of the fingers or ice axes - flames, just cold.The spectacle fantasticheskoe! "
It zakonomerno that superstitious people prinimali this natural phenomenon za heaven" znamenie ", especially if they saw the glow of church crosses or" halo "around the head. In the 18th century in Italy and Switzerland corona learned of the approaching storm. In one of the castles in the land of the spear was stuck, and the guard time to time it is presented to the top of his halberd, if between the spear and halberd started to slip spark guard rang a bell, warning people about the storm.
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Sometimes we can see the lights of Elmo! In December 1957, a similar phenomenon was observed fishermen Plescheevo lake near Pereslavl-Zalessky. The sun had set, sleet. And suddenly, when one of the fishermen picked up his fishing rod, its end is flared blue-White flame. It was so unexpected and impressive ... And when the other fishermen also raised their fishing rods, almost all the lights appeared. They disappear when the fishing rod to put your hand and touch them ... a rare case with the lights watching Elmo resident of the village in the Leningradregion.
June 28, 1961 at two o'clock in the night - and in the Leningrad region the white nights - he observed an interesting phenomenon.Red poppy flowers arranged in a circle at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other, lit up with flashes of blue.Light from the flash as it darted from flower to flower.
condition of the atmosphere that night was ominous, and at four o'clock in the morning thunder and heavy rain.Is this not go to the old folk tales of enchanted flowers, burning deep in the woods and on the Scarlet floret?
Photo source: liveinternet.ru
Articles Source: galadriel999
