Description
The Geissler tube was invented by the German glassblower Heinrich Geissler (1814 - 1879) in 1857. They were mass produced from the 1880's.

Geissler tubes contain a combination or one of the following: rarefied (thinned) gasses such as neon or argon, conductive liquids or minerals. Which when an electrical charge is passed through the tube different effects are created.

Some tubes were very elaborate and complex in shape and would contain chambers within an outer casing. The very decorative geissler tubes were often used as after dinner entertainment. As an educational tool they are also used to demonstrate the movement of electrons and the principles of a vacuum.

Geissler Tubes have had a large impact on the development of such instruments as the x-ray tube, neon signs, and the light bulb, all of which use the same vacuum principle.


Created by: Boris Jardine