Lighting refers to the devices or techniques used for illumination, usually referring to artificial light sources such as lamps or flashlights.

Natural indoor lighting is by windows and skylights.

Artificial indoor lighting is by means of lamps, today usually electric lights, but previously by gas, candles or oil lamps. Modern freestanding lamps typically have a base which holds up a light bulb which is covered by a lampshade . Modern portable lighting is typically a flashlight(also called a torch) running on batteries. Indoor lighting is a form of furnishing.

In cities, streets are often lighted at night, usually by streetlights (aka lamp-posts). These are a form of street furniture. Smaller or rural roads may not be lit. In major cities, Light pollution is of growing concern.

Vehicle lights

Automobile Tail Light

Vehicles typically include headlights and tail lights. Headlights are white or yellow lights placed in the front of the vehicle, designed to illuminate the upcoming road and to make the vehicle more visible. Tail lights are always red and are placed in the rear to quickly alert other drivers about the vehicle's direction of travel. In the image to the right, the top (white portion) of the tail light is the back-up lamp, which when lit, is used to indicate that the vehicle's transmission has been placed in the reverse gear, warning anyone behind the vehicle that it is moving backwards, or about to do so.

In addition to lighting for useful purposes, automobiles increasingly feature ornamental lighting . In the late 60s and early 70s, manufacturers would sometimes backlight their logos and or other translucent panelling. In the 90s, a popular trend was to customize vehicles with neon lighting, especially underneath the body of a car. In the first decade of 2000, neon lighting is increasingly yielding to digital vehicle lighting, in which bright LEDs are placed on the car and operated by a computer which can be customized and programmed to display a range of changing patterns and colors.

See also

• 3D computer graphics
• digital car lighting
• Domotics: computer controlled home lighting.
• chandelier
• Green Light: underwater lights
• Lava lamp
• lighting designer
• stage lighting
• timeline of lighting technology

Inventors

• Lodygin
• Thomas Edison

External links

• Lighting Design Glossary - Explains the terms used in architectural lighting and lighting simulation, with cross-references to the german language version.
• http://lightingwiki.com/FrontPage - "a forum for lighting designers, lighting researchers, lighting contractors, and any other people who are interested in illumination related topics, both in architectural and entertainment environments."