Designed for Seafarer Safety

Designed for Seafarer Safety (HM2576)

Location: Florence, OR 97439 Lane County
Buy Oregon State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 44° 8.235', W 124° 7.66'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 437 views
Inscription
From top to bottom, Heceta Head Lighthouse
is built to guide from afar.


The light's height was most likely chosen to maximize its range while minimizing the chances it would be hidden by fog.
Unlike most Fresnel lenses of the day, which were made in France, the lens at Heceta Head was made in England, and is the largest English lens of its type in the U.S.
Heceta's light is the brightest light on the Oregon Coast.

Lighthouse Lingo
Fresnel lens: parabolic type lens invented by French physicist Augustin Fresnel, classified by size into six orders (first order being the largest).
This lens is a first order.
Kerosene: fuel used in the lamp to produce light.
Lens: curved piece of glass used to bring together or spread light.
Bull's-eye: convex lens used to concentrate (refract) light.
Characteristic: individual flashing pattern and/or color of light.

Clockworks: series of gears, chains, and counterweights used to rotate the lens (similar to a grandfather clock).

Revolving light: rotating beam of light that produces a flash or characteristic.

Gallery: railed platform outside the lantern room.
Lantern room: area



with glass panels surrounding the lamp and lens at the top of the tower.


How Does a Fresnel Lens Work?

Light shining through a flat plate of glass would disperse in all directions. But light shining through a Fresnel lens hits the angled cuts on the glass and is bent until it all faces outward in the same direction.


The Fresnel lens is a technology invented in 1822.
The eight-sided lens continuously rotates around the light.
One of the eight bull's-eyes in the lens passes by the mariner's eye every 10 seconds, creating a characteristic flash pattern used to identify the source and triangulate position.
This flash can be seen 21 miles out to sea before it is obstructed by the curvature of the earth.
Details
HM NumberHM2576
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, February 2nd, 2018 at 4:02pm PST -08:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)10T E 409798 N 4887735
Decimal Degrees44.13725000, -124.12766667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 44° 8.235', W 124° 7.66'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds44° 8' 14.1" N, 124° 7' 39.6" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)541
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 725 Summer St, Florence OR 97439, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?