The Plasma Ball, also known as a Plasma Globe or a Plasma Lamp, is a glass sphere filled with a mixture of various noble gases with a high-voltage electrode in the centre. When voltage is applied, plasma is formed within the container. Plasma filaments extend from the inner electrode to the outer glass insulator, giving the appearance of multiple beams of coloured light.
Originally invented by Nikola Tesla in 1894, the form we all know and love today was actually a creation of Bill Parker. Bill was an American inventor and entrepreneur studying at MIT in 1970. Throughout the 80s and 90s these plasma balls were incredibly popular and could be found in bedrooms around the world….generally next to a lava lamp.
Plasma Globes come in all different sizes, the ones you would find in people’s homes generally range from an 8-inch plasma ball, all the way up to 16-inch plasma ball. While these 8 to 16-inch ones were nowhere near the giant plasma ball sizes you could find in laboratories, they all worked in exactly the same way.
While it’s fair to say Plasma Ball’s are nowhere near as popular as they once were, the chance of finding a Plasma Globe in someone’s house these days is practically zero, they do still offer a creative lighting source for any room. For kids in the 80’s and 90’s they were simply a magical wonder that you just had to have.
Plasma Ball Tricks
While Plasma balls looked cool and offered very creative lighting, that wasn’t their only use. Plasma ball tricks were very popular with both children and adults. Many different tricks were possible, however, one of the more popular ones would be to simply press a light bulb up against the glass and watch it light up.
Another simple trick was using magnets to manipulate the light. These tricks worked better with a large plasma ball, but most could still be achieved even with an 8 inch or 12 inch plasma ball.
There were dozens of tricks you could achieve with your Plasma Ball, many of which can be found online if you still have one lying around after all these years.
Are They Dangerous?
A question often asked is ‘Are There Any Plasma Balls Dangers?’ These strange looking Plasma Balls have been sold as toys for decades, so you can assume they are 100% safe to use.
These strange looking balls may look alien, but they won’t electrocute you, don’t release any hazardous materials and don’t pose any real danger to users, no matter what size they are.
