Disco ball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A disco ball, mirror ball, or ball mirror is a roughly spherical object that reflects light directed at it in many directions, producing a complex display. Its surface consists of hundreds or thousands of facets, nearly all of approximately the same shape and size, and each having a mirrored outer surface. Usually it is mounted well above the heads of the people present, suspended from a device that causes it to rotate steadily on a vertical axis so that stationary viewers experience beams of light flashing over them.
What are now called "disco balls" were first used in nightclubs in the 1920's. An early example can be seen in the nightclub sequence of Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Großstadt, a German silent film from 1927. In the 1970s, these devices were a standard accompaniment to disco music, and by the end of the 20th century, the name "disco ball" had largely eclipsed the earlier names that had been applied to the object.
Miniature disco balls are sold as novelties and used for a number of decorative purposes, including dangling from the rear-view mirror of an automobile.
With the appearance of infrared networks, disco balls have found a new application, as a method of dispersing the infrared signals.
90% of the United States' disco balls are made in Louisville at National Products, Inc [citation needed].
The world's largest rotating disco ball is situated in the ABC Nightclub in Glasgow, Scotland.[1]
[edit] Disco balls in architectural design
The TV Tower Berlin has an observation deck in form of a disco ball.
[edit] References
- ^ ABC Glasgow The Building
