Limelight
is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when an oxyhydrogen flame is directed at a cylinder of lime (calcium oxide), [1] which can be raised to 2572°C before melting. The light is produced by a combination of incandescence and candoluminescence. Although it has long since been replaced by electric lighting, the term has nonetheless survived, as someone in the public eye is still said to be "in the limelight".
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LIMELIGHT TICKETS
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History
The limelight effect was discovered in the 1820s by
Goldsworthy Gurney,
[2] based on his work with the "oxy-hydrogen
blowpipe", credit for which is normally given to
Robert Hare. In 1825, a
Scottish engineer,
Thomas Drummond (1797–1840), saw a demonstration of the effect by
Michael Faraday and realized that the light would be useful for surveying. Drummond built a working version in 1826, and the light is sometimes known as the
Drummond Light
after him.
Limelight was first used in public in the
Covent Garden Theatre in
London in 1837 and enjoyed widespread use in theatres around the world in the 1860s and 1870s. Limelights were employed to highlight solo performers in the same manner as modern
followspots.
[3]
. Limelight was replaced by electric
arc lighting in the late 19th century.
See also
Look up limelight
, in the limelight
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- Klieg light
- List of light sources
- Timeline of hydrogen technologies
References
- Chemical of the Week - Lime
- Limelight - Leeds University, accessed 18 July 2008
- The Stage Lighting Handbook (Stage and Costume)