Roadside Attraction: World's Largest (Air Insulated) Van De Graff Generator - Boston, MA

World's Largest

(Air Insulated)

Van De Graff Generator

Boston, MA

N 42° 22.029 W 071° 04.252

Short Description: 

The World's Largest (Air Insulated) Van De Graff Generator is located inside the Boston Museum of Science at 1 Science Park, Boston, MA

Long Description:

The Boston Museum of Science maintains the world's largest air insulated Van De Graff Generator. Demonstrations are held daily in the Theater of Electricity. Each show is about 20 minutes long and seating is on a first come first served basis.

The Van De Graff Generator is capable of producing 1,000,000 volts of static electricity. When a sufficient charge is created lightning will leap from the domes of the generator to a Faraday Cage that is raised up close to the domes. The operator stays safely within the Faraday Cage.

The three story high generator was built in 1933 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study the atom. In 1956 it was moved to the Museum of Science to demonstrate how high voltage electricity can produce artificial lightning.