🔍 Key Concepts

• Aids to Navigation (ATON) emergency light characteristics used when a primary light fails • How an emergency (standby) light differs from the main light in color and intensity • Why some colors (red, white, yellow) are reserved for specific purposes in the buoyage and light system

💭 Think About

• Think about what quality of a light would make sense as a backup on a fixed aid if the main powerful light failed, especially in terms of power consumption and visibility. • Consider which colors are normally used for major lighthouses and which are more often associated with special marks, warnings, or obstructions. • Ask yourself: would an emergency light be more likely to change color pattern dramatically, or keep roughly the same appearance but on a simpler, less powerful setting?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify what the U.S. Aids to Navigation System says about standby or emergency lights for major lights and lighthouses. • Check how color changes (e.g., to red or yellow) are typically used in the system—are they for emergency backup, or do they indicate different types of marks? • Confirm whether an emergency/standby light is usually described in terms of pattern and color, or in terms of intensity compared to the main light.