On: New York Sky Turns Bright Blue After Transformer Explosion

[ben_w]

A spark’s RF interference isn’t limited to the frequency of the power supply. I don’t know the mechanism, but when I was a kid I found I could hold a lightswitch in a halfway state and hear the interference on the nearby FM radio. (Classic FM, so ~101 MHz compared to UK mains at 50 Hz).

[aaaaaaaaaab → ben_w]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter

[mirimir → ben_w]

OK, fair enough. But I know what arcs look like. And I'm 100% sure that the one in these NYC videos was huge.