Nikola Tesla’s wireless electrical system is more than a high voltage spectacle. Experiments with Tesla coils could help explain important questions about how lightning works. Bay Area citizen scientist Greg Leyh has built the largest Tesla coils in the world in his quest to better understand the physics of lightning.

Leyh's current project is completing a 40-foot tall coil which has been in the works for 5 years; and that's a step toward eventually building a pair of coils at 3 times that height. Invented by Nikola Tesla in the 01890’s, the Tesla coil produces high-voltage, low-current, high frequency alternating-current electricity with vivid electrical streamers that extend from the top of the coil.

"The Secret Life of Lightning: The Science of Giant Tesla Coils" was given on September 26, 02017 as part of The Long Now Foundation's “Conversations at The Interval” Salon Talks. These hour long talks are recorded live at The Interval, our bar, cafe, & museum in San Francisco. Since 02014 this series has presented artists, authors, entrepreneurs, scientists (and more) taking a long-term perspective on subjects like art, design, history, nature, technology, and time. To follow the talks, you can:

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