Searchlight

Common card · No. 315031

A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction. It is usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about. The most common element used in modern searchlights is xenon (Xe). However, rare-earth elements such as lanthanum (La) and cerium (Ce) are used in phosphors to improve light quality in some specialized searchlights.

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