The Klydonograph is a device that records a surge in electrical
voltage
Voltage, also known as (electrical) potential difference, electric pressure, or electric tension, is the difference in electric potential between two points. In a Electrostatics, static electric field, it corresponds to the Work (electrical), ...
on a sulfur-dusted photographic film. The device is credited to
John F. Peters, who developed it as a means of investigating the effects of
lightning
Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...
on electric
power line
An overhead power line is a structure used in electric power transmission and Electric power distribution, distribution to transmit electrical energy along large distances. It consists of one or more electrical conductor, conductors (commonly mu ...
s. The resulting graphic varies in size and shape depending on the potential, polarity, and wave shape of the captured lightning discharge.
The concept of imaging an
electrical impulse with sulfur dust dates back to 1777, when it was documented by
G. C. Lichtenberg.
This idea was later refined by others, who incorporated a
photographic plate
Photographic plates preceded film as the primary medium for capturing images in photography. These plates, made of metal or glass and coated with a light-sensitive emulsion, were integral to early photographic processes such as heliography, d ...
before it was eventually adopted in the Klydonograph.
The Klydonograph is generally used to record impulse voltages between 2
kilovolt
The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI).
Definition
One volt is defined as the electric potential between two point ...
(kV) and 50 kV.
References
Lightning
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