Lighting a beacon

In the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of  Queen Elizabeth in the UK, there will be numerous fiery beacons lit right across the country, mimicing  the time when the lighting of beacons, which could be seen from one hillside to another, served as a means of alerting the whole country to some imminent threat.

It is intended that these beacons will be lit this Monday night at around 10 pm


The last Diamond Jubilee was that of Queen Victoria and they had similar fun with beacons in those days, although this lot don't look terribly jolly.

There is another way of obtaining a rosy glow in the night, but this might not be quite so visible over long distances.