ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions. ***************************************************************************** Please send messages to [log in to unmask] if you have any knowledge of a demonstration using a polystyrene (perhaps) ball surrounded by a "electrified" wire mesh, and a "plasma shooter" to simulate the magnetosphere protecting the Earth from the Solar wind. What I've heard of the demo is that plasma is "shot" at the mesh covered ball. The mesh repels the plasma in the first trial of "shooting plasma" at it. In the second trial, the ball is supposed to ignite, after being "struck" by plasma, the result of no protection from the mesh. The flames illuminate the hazards of plasma being able to reach the "surface" of our planetary body. "Shooting" the plasma we can address with our big Tesla coil and grounding out the mesh (Faraday cage) in experiment one, and then switching to a second, grounded polystyrene ball for experiment two. I'm wondering if in the original demo, another way of "shooting" the plasma was used and that a "deflection" occurs through, maybe, charging the Faraday cage and grounding the ball? Cheers, Tim, UCAR Education and Outreach, Interpreter *********************************************************************** More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org. To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to [log in to unmask]