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To guide ships in the water. They light up the surface so that ships do not run into rock or other boats. It reduces the chances of a crash.
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To guide shipping YES. To "light up the surface..." NO.
A lighthouse indicates the location of a headland, shoal or other hazard, or the entrance to a complex channel, and the pattern of its flashing serves to identify the location.
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoIn the days before the widespread use of electronic navigation - that is to say, any time before about 1970 - lighthouses were used as visual navigational beacons to aid ships coming in to port, and to warn the sailors of obstructions.
Every lighthouse has its own "characteristics"; the speed at which the light spins, the color of the light, and the number of elements in the beam. This enables the sailor to identify a particular lighthouse, and if there are two lighthouses visible at the same time, the navigator can get a visual "fix" of his position.
Now everyone uses GPS, which is capable of even greater precision than obtaining visual bearings to three lighthouses.
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Why lighthouses spiralled?
Lighthouses are not spiraled, they are towers.
Where lighthouses useful in the past?
"Lighthouses are designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and used as a navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways."
Do you need people in the lighthouses?
yes afcos.add. All of New Zealand's lighthouses used to be manned, but all are automatic these days. So it will depend upon your country.
What was used for the light in the first lighthouses?
An oil lamp or a wood fire.
What are facts about lighthouses?
Egyptians were the people who invented lighthouses. Lighthouses guide sailors as navigators and as warning systems
How many lighthouses are in Connecticut?
There are 23 lighthouses in Connecticut.
How many lighthouses does Ohio have?
Ohio has 24 lighthouses.
How many lighthouses in use today?
In 2014, there are still over 400 lighthouses that are being used. Most of the lighthouses are leased to historical societies and used as tourist attractions.
How many lighthouses are in the coastal plain?
their are currently 1,983,475 lighthouses
What state lighthouses are from?
Nobody actually know when and where the lighthouses were built.
How do you use the word lighthouses?
There are lighthouses all along the coast.
Why are lighthouses in specific locations?
Lighthouses are built in areas of potential danger to warn sailors. They are also used as a navigation aid as each lighthouse's lights flash in a different pattern.
