Editing Neon lamp (section)

===Environmental effects===
The precise values of starting and maintaining voltages of neon lamps is subject to change due to several effects. External light falling on the electrodes provides a source of ionization to start the lamp; in total darkness, lamps may reach a high and erratic starting voltage. One measure to mitigate for this effect is to include a pilot lamp within the enclosure to provide an initial source of light. Lamps are also somewhat sensitive to external electrostatic fields, temperature, and aging. Lamps intended for use as circuit components may be specially processed to eliminate most of the initial aging effects.<ref name=GE/>