The Role of Lighting in Aids to Marine Navigation

Extract

L. G. Reynold's interesting article (Journal30, 108) gives rise to a question. Why, on the new charts is the light range given as the luminous or nominal range, instead of, as formerly, the geographical range (for a height of eye of 15 ft)? This, from the point of view of the practical navigator, seems a retrograde step for we can no longer see from a glance at the chart the approximate range at which we may expect to sight a light. The luminous range is almost always greater than the geographical range and reference must be made to the Geographical Range Table in the Admiralty List of Lights to find out what the latter will be.