Neon LightsNeon lights are hugely popular in the world of advertising as they can be bent into a variety of shapes, powered by a relatively low wattage and are bright enough to be visible in daylight. Because of their flexibility and wide range of colours, they are also incredibly popular in the novelty lighting industry.Developed by George Claude in the early 1900s, the popularity of neon lights has gone from strength to strength. Essentially, ‘neon light’ is the generic term used to describe a range of gas discharge lamps, all of which consist of a tube of moulded glass containing two electrodes and noble gas stored at low pressure. When a current is passed through the tube the noble gas ionises and electrons flow from one electrode to the other. When electrons pass through the tube they excite the atoms of gas and it is when these atoms return to their original state that light is emitted. The colour given off by a ‘neon light’ depends on the gas used, for instance when neon is used alone a red/orange light is seen, whereas argon gives off a blue colour and krypton a green colour. The wide range of colours that we see in neon advertisements are created either by combining several different noble gases, or by coating the glass tube with a substance that alters the appearance of the light emitted. It was 1910 when the first (plain red) neon sign was used to advertise a car dealership in American. Since then the use of neon lighting for advertising, novelty purposes and in electrical appliances has gone from strength to strength, with signs comprising different tubes of gas and so giving off different, intricate patterns of colour. Additionally, it is now possible to create animated neon lights by switching the currents to different tubes on and off periodically. There is a fantastic range of neon based novelty lights available which look fantastic when displayed around the home. They also make popular nightlights and adornments for bikes and cars. Because of the flexibility and colour options of neon lights their decorative use is almost limitless. |
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