News Physics

Pickles glow when you plug them in. Science explains why

The scientific party trick results from mini blasts ignited by sparks, experiments suggest

A pickle skewered by electrodes emits an orange glow at one end when plugged in. Researchers have new insights into the science behind this spectacle.

Joshua Méndez Harper and Benjamin Crall

By Emily Conover

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Here’s what happens when you plug in a pickle.

At an otherwise formal meeting of the Electrostatics Society of America, electrical engineer Joshua Méndez Harper pulled out a jar of pickles, a power strip and some electrodes.