Sodium vapor streetlight starting up.

[poiiihy]

sounds like a helicopter somewhere.

[CaptainElevator42189]

Actually, it was a light wind.

[matthewtchernev123]

@CaptainElevator42189 my street lights have been replaced 1 year a go and now i think they are like cfl lights because they look like them and i think they are instant on. what kind of street lights do i have now and also they glow a dim blue, not so bright.

[BedfordMarcus]

do these types get to high temperature or do they keep cool?

[CaptainElevator42189]

They do get hot, but the external temperature around the lamp fixture keeps them cooler.

[CaptainElevator42189]

Yes, those high intensity discharge lights are fascinating to watch, since they start out in one color when starting up, and then change color when at full brightness.

[marcvie9]

WOW!

[CaptainElevator42189]

That is amazing indeed, with the change in color during startup.

[maclovindotca]

You can buy MV bulbs from lighting stores that have built in ballasts. I think I may buy one.

[CaptainElevator42189]

Yes, they are the so-called self-ballasted mercury vapor bulbs, which have a filament in there that acts as the ballast for the main mercury vapor bulb.

[CaptainElevator42189]

No, it's only sodium vapor for the street lighting, and metal halide for the downtown & moonlight tower lighting.

[67tr876]

do you have mercury vaper lights ? they are my fav !

[CaptainElevator42189]

That's correct.

[jmartis2]

I think the blue-green color during run up is because of the mercury in the arc.

[Iluvbadgers]

well all high pressure sodium lamps have mercury in the arc tube, but still they start up with a dim white light and when the sodium kicks in then it goes to orange

[CaptainElevator42189]

Yes, the mercury is used to take some of the yellow out of the light spectrum.

[form109]

the Mercury's Actual Purpose is to Tailor the lamps Electrical Characteristics...although the Mercury Does Raise the CRI abit...making the Lamps Color more Reddish than Orange.

[CaptainElevator42189]

Interesting, and the coated bulbs don't have the mercury, which makes the color more reddish-yellow.

[form109]

Coated High Pressure Sodium Lamps?....those are Rare...but they can have Mercury Also.

[CaptainElevator42189]

Yes, the coated bulbs are rare, but they too have mercury.

[form109]

it depends....some HPS lamps only contail Sodium and Xenon as a Starter Aid Gas...some lamps Particulary GE's Lucalox HPS Lamps have a Sodium Mercury amalgam.

[CaptainElevator42189]

The argon-xenon mixture is used to aid starting, and therefore, has the greenish-blue glow at the beginning.

[Xxero0]

argon-xenon mixture...

then why does it glow orange? i know about the sodium, but i thought when xenon and/or argon was excited, it becomes EXTREMELY bright. so why an orange color? why not a yellowish greenish color? that would meet between the the white blue of the gas, and the orange of the sodium.

[CaptainElevator42189]

Okay, I'd be interested to see it, and what kind is it?

[musicfreakcc]

I might make a video of the one outside of my house.

[CaptainElevator42189]

It was around 8:00 in the evening.

[g4tech]

what time was it when it started to turn on ?