Glowing Light on Ship Masts

St. Elmo’s fire is not actually fire, but a glowing ball of electrical plasma. It often appears as a ghostly, flickering light on top of ship masts and airplane wings during heavy storms.

This phenomenon occurs when a strong electrical field, usually from a thundercloud, forces air to break down and glow. Sailors once believed this silent light was a divine omen sent to protect them during turbulent weather. Today, pilots still occasionally see it dancing across their windshields when flying through charged clouds. It is essentially a harmless, static-based version of a lightning strike.