legacy light or skybeam is on top of the space needle.
legacy light or skybeam is on top of the space needle.
what is on top of the space needle?
legacy light or skybeam
on december 31, 1999, a powerful beam of light was unveiled for the first time. called the legacy light or skybeam, it is powered by lamps that total 85 million candela shining skyward from the top of the space needle to honor national holidays and special occasions in seattle. the concept of this beam was derived from the official 1962 world's fair poster, which depicted such a light source although none was incorporated into the original design. it is somewhat controversial because of the light pollution it creates. originally planned to be turned on 75 nights per year, it has generally been used fewer than a dozen times per year. it did remain lit for eleven days in a row from september 11, 2001, to september 22, 2001, in response to the september 11, 2001 attacks.
space needle
the architecture of the space needle is the result of a compromise between the designs of two men, edward e. carlson and john graham, jr. the two leading ideas for the world fair involved businessman edward e. carlson's sketch of a giant balloon tethered to the ground (see the gently sloping base) and architect john graham's concept of a flying saucer (see the halo that houses the restaurant and observation deck). victor steinbrueck introduced the hourglass profile of the tower. the space needle was built to withstand wind speeds of , double the requirements in the building code of 1962. the 6.8 nisqually earthquake jolted the needle enough in 2001 for water to slosh out of the toilets in the restrooms. the space needle will not sustain serious structural damage during earthquakes of magnitudes below 9.1. also made to withstand category 5 hurricane-force winds, the space needle sways only per of wind speed.
space needle