so. to state the obvious, a lighthouse is something that is used on coastlines all around the world to mark the edge of coastlines. At night they shine a rotating light through their upper windows so it can be visable in the dark. That way sailors wont crash their ships from not seeing a cliffedge.

Did you know?

did you know that the colors and different types of stripes you see on lighthouses actually have meanings. There are many factors when choosing a color for a lighthouse, including where it is, whats around it, and viability but there are also some general 'rules' most lighthouses follow. Solid colors are often for visability purposes, horizontal bands (specifically black and white) often mark the edges of rocky coastlines, while vertical stripes often marks the entrance to a canal or harbor. Spriral patterns can represent dangerous areas and checkers means complex coastlines and other lighthouses near by.

how a lighthouse works:

Lighthouses use fresnel lenses, these magnify and concentrate the light into a single bright beam, that is only visable if youre directly infront of it. So, to combat the viability issue the lens is mounted on a rotating base that spins in a 360 degree circle. Now, how does the base turn? It uses gravity. A weight is attached to a cord which is attatched to the clockwork mechanism, as the weight slowly falls, it unravels the cord causing the gears to turn, therefore making the light turn until its ran out of string and will need to be cranked back up to the top.

My favorite lighthouse

this is linoma lighthouse!

Linoma is one of the two (nonfunctioning) lighthouse in nebraska. its about halfway between lincoln and omaha, and thats where its name comes from. LIN coming from lincoln & OMA coming from omaha.
It is located on linoma beach near ashland nebraska. Unfortunitly the beach is closed most of the time and you arent supposed to be in the actual beach unless you rent or buy a spot in the camper area. but, the area does house double crested cormorants and other seabirds you can spot if you stand by the lighthouse. the area surrounding is a GREAT birding spot if youre intrested to see eagles, hawks, owls, and migrating waterfowl.