Why is my plasma Ball so dim?

I had a plasma ball in my converted attic, that has no velux blind. I hadnt been in the room for 7 days, but I know the ball was ok when I last seen it. It hadnt been turned on for donkeys, years actually, and was not plugged in. But when I went back...

I am doing a science fair project on it and i would like to know why it does light up

So I got this plasma ball for Christmas, and its really dim. I watched some videos on YouTube of how its normally supposed to look and mime looks nothing like that. The streams are very dim and when I touch it, it does the strong stream thing and all...

Plasma Ball: you know those glass spherical things that emit streams of lightning and whenever you touch it, the lightning follows your finger. The plasma ball is filled with argon gas, so I think I should be in the UV wavelengths.

where can i buy a plasma ball?? they are also known as plasma globes... and for less than $50 please. OH.. and not a website please! I mean in real life!

I just bought a plasma ball, the ball is 20cm big and originally I thought that it would look neat on top of my computer and near my screen, but is it safe to keep it near to either one of them? Will it damage my computer or my computer screen, if yes...