Editing Lighthouse (section)

{{short description|Structure designed to emit light to aid navigation}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:NJ LBI Lighthouse 04.JPG|thumb|300px|[[Barnegat Lighthouse]] at the coast of [[Ocean County]], [[New Jersey]], U.S., facing the [[Atlantic Ocean]] at [[sunrise]]]]
[[File:Roman Rock Lighthouse.webm|thumbnail|Aerial drone footage of the [[Roman Rock Lighthouse]] off the southern coast of South Africa.]]
A '''lighthouse''' is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and [[lens (optics)|lenses]] and to serve as a [[beacon]] for [[navigational aid]] for [[maritime pilot]]s at sea or on inland waterways.

Lighthouses mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous [[shoal]]s, [[reef]]s, rocks, and safe entries to harbors; they also assist in [[aerial navigation]]. Once widely used, the number of operational lighthouses has declined due to the expense of maintenance and the advent of much cheaper, more sophisticated, and more effective electronic navigational systems.