James Angele, age 12, of Omaha, Neb., for his question:

WHAT IS SAINT ELMO'S FIRE?

When a luminous discharge of electricity extends from some elevated object into that atmosphere, it is called Saint Elmo's fire. It is seen sometimes in a snowstorm or a dust storm and at times appears to be fiery jets coming from masts of ships, parts of airplanes, tops of mountains, steeples and even horns of cattle. It is not seen too frequently.

Saint Elmo's fire occurs when atmosphere is charged and an electrical potential strong enough to cause a discharge is created between an object and the air around it. It's not powerful enough to be dangerous. It can cause a tingling sensation. When people see it, they usually predict that bad weather is or. the way.