I've discovered lighthouses along the coast of Florida, and think they are cool. This is the Ponce de Leon Inlet lighthouse just south of Daytona Beach. This lighthouse probably has the best museum display of any on the east coast. There are a half dozen or so well-maintained exhibit buildings. This lighthouse is 175 feet tall, and originally contained a 3rd order Fresnel lens. I am particularly fascinated by the lens technology of the 19th century. |
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This is an aerial view of Ponce Inlet. The lighthouse is on the lower-right corner of the left side of the inlet. |
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This is a view of the lighthouse from the beach at sunset. |
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And another silhouette of the Ponce de Leon Inlet lighthouse. |
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These are the stairs in the Ponce de Leon Inlet lighthouse. |
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This is the modern lamp that replaces the original 3rd order lamp in the Ponce Inlet lighthouse. It looks small and out of place in the large space reserved for the larger lens. The modern unit is about 1 foot to a side, and is built in New Zealand. |
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These are images of the St. Augustine lighthouse. It is a 1st order light that is 165 feet tall. The original Fresnel lens still operates in the lighthouse (but with an electric bulb). I think this is the prettiest lighthouse on the coast, but my friend Jodi will argue that that title goes to the Ponce Inlet lighthouse. |
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These are the stairs in the St. Augustine lighthouse. Note the difference between these and those in the Ponce Inlet house. These stairs have semicircular landings while the other did not. These wider landings made it a lot easier to pass people going the other way. |
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Interestingly, the photos of both of these lighthouses were taken the same day. Note the difference in the sky. It shows what difference 50 miles and a couple of hours makes. I think the sky unfairly benefits the photos of the Ponce de Leon Inlet structure.
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This is the first order light from the Cape Canaveral lighthouse. It is on display at the Ponce de Leon Inlet lighthouse museum. The Cape Canaveral lighthouse has a modern lamp installed, and is still used as a navigational aid. I kind of resent that the Cape Canaveral optics are not displayed locally here in Brevard County. The first order lamp was the largest of the lamps installed in US 19th century lighthouses, and is over 9 feet tall. |
Next down the coast is the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. Being on a military base with a lot of sensitive equipment, it is not accessible by the public. The picture here is as close as you can get without joining the airforce. It is taken with a 300mm lens from the pier at Jetty Park. The picture is almost the full width of the frame. I am waiting to receive a 2x teleconverter that will let me get closer.
I've been having problems lately holding the camera squarely. Sorry.
The two tall structures to the left are the mobile service towers for launch complex 36, the Atlas launch site. At the time this picture was taken, one of the two towers was housing the integration of the first Atlas 3. If I recall my cape geography correctly, from this angle, LC 36 is actually much farther away than the lighthouse.
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Now this is the picture taken with the 600mm lens. OK. Just kidding. In November 2000, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center opened their previously Employee's Open House to the public. Not being escorted by one of my NASA buddies who wanted to visit KSC, I took this unique opportunity to visit cape side. I, of course, got these close-up photos of the lighthouse. |
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Unfortunately, the interior of the lighthouse was not open to visitors. |
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This is the Jupiter Inlet lighthouse. (Jupiter is French, and is pronounced Zhoo-pi-tay.) This is apparently in bad need of paint. There was a construction site established around it, with a fence and contractor trailers and such, so I hope that means that a restoration is underway. Unfortunately, the museum is intelligently closed on Saturdays, so I could not get closer or get any more information. |
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From the picture, it appears that the lighthouse retains its original 19th century optics. A book I found in a bookstore shows a freshly-painted Jupiter lighthouse, and that book was maybe 10 years old, so it has been kept up in the last couple of decades despite its current appearance. |
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