Why is my plasma Ball so dim?

Lightning is plasma, and is very hot. When I see a plasma ball for a second on the ground, why do I not feel its heat? It should fry me.

• Answer:

  Lightning is static electricity jumping from ground to sky or vice versa; it ionizes the air and the passage of so much energy creates plasma. A small plasma 'bubble' is at very high energy state, however the energy it is giving off might not be in the infrared range which you could feel at a distance. There is also a subtle but important difference between temperature and energy. Something can be very hot yet contain little energy such as a candle flame or not nearly as hot yet contain considerable energy such as a steam boiler. The greater the mass, the greater the energy it takes to raise its temperature. Plasmas consists of gases which have very little mass yet extremely high temperature, so its energy may actually be very small.