Gallus Light

This lamp consists of a solid wood base, a brass housing containing a tea light candle, and a glass chimney. What is surprising about this lamp is that as long as it is lit, the candle flame rotates while it burns. Designed by a Swiss sea captain and a Swiss engineer, the rotating candle flame is both soothing, and intriguing. Soothing since it rotates at around the rate of a human resting heart beat, and it also resembles the rotating light of a light house. But it is also intriguing - why does the flame rotate in this way? The answer is in the design of the brass housing. Three angled air inlets have been created in the sides of the metal housing. As the candle burns, hot air rises up the chimney. The surrounding air is drawn inward through the air inlets, and because these are angled, they create a rotating air flow inside the glass chimney, which causes the flame to rotate. It is a really nice piece of physics! The glass chimney with it’s tall narrow opening protects the flame from