The Hefner lamp, or in German ''Hefnerkerze'', is a flame lamp used in

photometry Photometry can refer to: * Photometry (optics), the science of measurement of visible light in terms of its perceived brightness to human vision * Photometry (astronomy), the measurement of the flux or intensity of an astronomical object's electro ...

that burns

amyl acetate Amyl acetate (pentyl acetate) is an organic compound and an ester with the chemical formula CH3COO H2sub>4CH3 and the molecular weight 130.19g/mol. It is colorless and has a scent similar to bananas and apples. The compound is the condensation p ...

. The lamp was invented by Friedrich von Hefner-Alteneck in 1884 and he proposed its use as a standard flame for photometric purposes with a luminous intensity unit of the Hefnerkerze (HK). The lamp was specified as having a 40 mm flame height and an 8 mm diameter wick. The Hefner lamp provided the German, Austrian, and Scandinavian standard for luminosity during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The unit of light intensity was defined as that produced by the lamp burning

with a 40 mm flame height. The light unit was adopted by the German gas industry in 1890 and known as the ''Hefnereinheit''. In 1897 it was also adopted by the Association of German Electrical Engineers under the name ''Hefnerkerze'' (HK). Germany moved to using the new candle (NC) from 1 July 1942 and the

candela The candela ( or ; symbol: cd) is the unit of luminous intensity in the International System of Units (SI). It measures luminous power per unit solid angle emitted by a light source in a particular direction. Luminous intensity is analogous to ...

(cd) from 1948. :1 Hefnerkerze is about 0.920 candelas.''Hefner candle, Hefner unit, Hefnerkerze'' in Donald Fenna (ed)''A Dictionary of Weights, Measures, and Units'', Oxford University Press 2002, , p. 124

References

* Photometry Lighting {{sci-hist-stub

See also

References