Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A Fresnel lens ( / ˈfreɪnɛl, - nəl / FRAY-nel, -nəl; / ˈfrɛnɛl, - əl / FREN-el, -əl; or / freɪˈnɛl / fray-NEL[ 1]) is a type of composite compact lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections.
A zone plate is a device used to focus light or other things exhibiting wave character. [ 1] Unlike lenses or curved mirrors, zone plates use diffraction instead of refraction or reflection. Based on analysis by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel, they are sometimes called Fresnel zone plates in his honor.
On May 15, 1874, the Gay Head Light was changed from flashing white to "three whites and one red" to differentiate the light from the area's two other principal lights located at Sankaty Head and Montauk Point. All three lights had Fresnel lenses, however, the Gay Head Light was the only light of the 1st Order.
The original light was an Argand-Lewis parabolic reflector, lit with candles and with a visibility of 2 miles (3.2 km). Augustin Fresnel invented a superior way of focusing light in the early 1850s and most lighthouses in the U.S. were converted to the Fresnel Lens, with Pemaquid Point receiving a fourth order Fresnel in 1856.
The tower is circular, and is 49 feet (15 m) in height, with the beacon at 83 feet (25 m) above sea level. The light, magnified by a third-order Fresnel lens, has a range of 18 miles (29 km). The tower is built of brick, and painted in alternating horizontal red and white stripes. A small gabled entry vestibule, also brick, projects from the tower.
The new all-white lighthouse tower was completed in 1868, receiving a first-order Fresnel lens made by Henry-Lepaute and Company of Paris, France that was first lit on May 10, 1868. [ 1 ] [ 6 ] The lower three levels of the tower served as the living quarters for the keepers and his assistants complete with kitchen, living room and bedrooms.
In 1852, construction started, and the lighthouse was commissioned in 1853. After the lighthouse was built, many problems were encountered. Shifting sands caused the point to be extended by nearly a mile. The original light was a 5th Order Fresnel lens, later upgraded when the building was replaced. Undated USCG image.
VRB-25. Side view of a six-lens VRB-25. For outdoor use, bird spikes are added to the top. The VRB-25 is a lighthouse optical system designed and built by Vega Industries Ltd. in Porirua, New Zealand. It was originally designed in 1993–95 with the assistance of the United States Coast Guard to meet USCG requirements for a robust mechanism ...