In article , Gerry Atrick wrote:
I got one of those orange colored neon night lights in my bathroom.
When the bathroom light is off, this neon light flickers all the time
(which usually means the neon bulb is getting weak). However, when I
turn on the bathroom ceiling light, the night light stops flickering.
WHAT THE HECK?????? This makes no sense at all.

Note: (There is not any photo cell on the night light).

It is common for aging "high intensity" neon glow lamps to do this -
flicker and work better with light.

("High intensity" ones are ones with pure neon rather than the "standard
intensity" with the dimmer neon-argon mixture and lower current design
electrodes. Night lights with neon glow lamps usually have a "high
intensity" type such as C2A/"NE-2H" or A1C/"mini NE-2H".)

What you see is the photoelectric effect. Light helps electrons leave
the electrode surface and enter the neon. When a "high intensity" neon
glow lamp gets old, the coating on the electrodes gets worn out and the
photoelectric effect makes a noticeable difference in performance.

"Standard Intensity" neon glow lamps (like A1A/"NE-2" and A1B/"NE-2H"
and NE-51) tend to just fade from the bulb being blackened and are less
likely to flicker.

- Don Klipstein )