# What were those spherical objects below the Hi Voltage transmission lines?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-those-spherical-objects-below-the-hi-voltage-transmission-lines/317807>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 19, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-those-spherical-objects-below-the-hi-voltage-transmission-lines/317807 "2005-08-19T21:26:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wisernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@wisernow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wisernow)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-those-spherical-objects-below-the-hi-voltage-transmission-lines/317807/1 "2005-08-19T21:26:24Z")

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Driving south on I-75, I noticed big round spherical objects hung on wires wherever the hi tension transmission lines crossed the highway.

What were they and what is the purpose?

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**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-those-spherical-objects-below-the-hi-voltage-transmission-lines/317807/2 "2005-08-19T21:34:41Z")

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I think they’re there to make the wires visible to low-flying aircraft. A MedEvac helicopter, for instance, might need to land on a highway to get crach victims to the hospital, ASAP, and having some idea of where the high-tension wires are is of obvious benefit.

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**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-those-spherical-objects-below-the-hi-voltage-transmission-lines/317807/3 "2005-08-19T21:43:18Z")

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> [@wisernow](#):
>
> Driving south on I-75, I noticed big round spherical objects hung on wires wherever the hi tension transmission lines crossed the highway.

'Scusa da nitpick, but have you ever seen a spherical object that was not round? 🙂

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-those-spherical-objects-below-the-hi-voltage-transmission-lines/317807/4 "2005-08-19T21:59:26Z")

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**Loopydude** is right about the aircraft. [Here is a more lengthy answer from Google Answers.](http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=13055)