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St. Elmo's fire is a natural electrical phenomenon that creates a visible glowing discharge in the air, typically appearing as a faint, flickering light around pointed objects like ship masts or aircraft during storms. It occurs when electrical potential builds up in the atmosphere and is of interest mainly to scientists studying atmospheric electricity and to sailors and pilots who might encounter it during severe weather.
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Illustration of St. Elmo's fire on a ship at sea St. Elmo's fire on the flaps and flap track fairings of an A350 while going through a cumulonimbus cloud
St. Elmo's fire (also called corposant, Hermes fire, furole, witchfire or witch's fire) is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a corona discharge from a rod-like object such as a mast, spire, chimney, or animal horn in an atmospheric electric field. It has also been observed on the leading edges and windshields of aircraft by pilots.