Wear protection feature for corona igniter

A corona igniter (20) comprises an electrode with a central extended member (22) extending along a central axis (A) and a crown (34) extending radially outwardly from the central extended member. The central extended member has an extended length (le) and the crown has a crown length (lc). The extended length is greater than the crown length such that the extended member approaches a piston more closely than the crown. In addition, the firing tips of the crown each present a first spherical radius which is less than a second spherical radius of the central extended member. Thus, if arcing occurs, it forms from the central extended member, rather than from the crown. Accordingly, the firing tips of the crown experience less wear and remain sharp. In addition, due to the sizes of the spherical radii, corona discharge is more likely to form from the firing tips than from the central extended member.