Though not shaped by exactly the same circumstances, the branching patterns of "Static Landscape" (upper image) and the many forking, meandering paths followed by strokes of lightning (lower image) share similarities of cause as well as form. Both phenomena grow from electrostatic forces placed in imbalance, once again seeking balance.

Upper image: "Static Landscape" (photo credit: Ned Kahn)  Lower image: Lightning on Earth (photo credit: NOAA)

How It Works: Visitors tilt back and forth a 30-inch-diameter shallow disk filled with thousands of tiny steel balls, and observe how the cascade of balls rubbing against the plastic surface generates static electrical charge.  The static electrical forces organize the balls into waves and other intricate patterns.