How it works from the YouTube videoGyO 1 rpD 9 SP 4 descriptionThis experiment is an example of what is called a Lichtenberg figure , which occurs when an electrical charge like a bolt of lightning strikes a type of material and gets trapped . The material can be made of any type of insulating substance like glass , acrylic , or even human flesh . By nature , insulators are poor conductors of electricity , so how do you get them to host such a powerful electric charge like lightning ? The simple yet counterintuitive answer is that you transform them from a poor conductor into a good one . To understand how this works , think about how a lightning bolt forms in the skyYou need two oppositely charged ends , like a negatively charged cloud and the positively charged ground . When the charges grow strong enough they generate a powerful discharge in a brilliant display of white , heated gas . In the example above , it has placed an insulating material most likely glass or acrylic under a device called a cathode ray tube , which produces a powerful beam of negatively charged electrons traveling at 99 percent the speed of light . In order to get the electrons to discharge inside of the glass or acrylic , you must first insert charged particles into the material through a process called irradiation . Then , that sets up the same conditions that lead to a lightning strike When the electrons from the cathode ray meet the charged portions of the insulating material , those portions instantly become electrically conductive and you get a miniature , but powerful , lightning strike . The flashes observed in the transparent material are temporary , but the lighting figure will always remain if it isn ' t transformed .