Cecil Moore wrote:


Cecil claims that corona cannot exist in "fairweather" conditions,
although there is no reason given.

Again, obviously a false statement based on wishful thinking.
As proved by my references, the existence of corona requires
~100 uA per cm^2. Quoting from the previous NASA web page, for
the fairweather field, "the current is 10^-12 amps per square
meter."

Requirement for corona to exist:

100 uA per cm^2 = 10 amps per square meter

Available current during fairweather conditions:

10^-12 amps per square meter

Conclusion: During fairweather conditions, the current is
13 magnitudes too low for corona to exist.



Cecil,

That's a good one. I believe the fairweather reference relates to the
average current density over the entire earth. The corona reference
(which does not even come close to being a "requirement") applies to a
very localized environment. If the average current density over the
entire earth increased to 100 uA per cm^2 I think it might be best to
live far underground.

I have not measured currents, fields, or corona in the atmosphere, but I
have some experience with high voltage equipment in laboratory
environments. I can assure you that corona can occur even when there are
no preexisting fields or currents in the surrounding air. High voltage
and sharp emission points are quite adequate.

The fairweather current and the corona current are completely unrelated.

73,
Gene
W4SZ