Laser Images Inc

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Laserium, and indeed the laser light show itself, was born in the late 60's and early 1970's. Ivan Dryer, then a film maker, was treated to a lab demonstration of a new multi-colored laser at Cal Tech. He was so taken by the purity and intensity of the colors that he decided to make a film and set the beautiful patterns to music. His film, Laser Image, disappointed him though. Even though it was an enchanting visual piece, the lasers, as caught on film, lacked the original sizzle they had when seen live. Convinced that one had to experience laser light live, Ivan founded Laser Images in Van Nuys, California. He gathered together a group of clever optical, mechanical, and electrical engineers and artists who, in the next two years had crafted an advanced laser projector and choreographed the original Laserium show.Presenting the idea to the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium landed Ivan a temporary concession operating permit from the city of Los Angeles. Laserium opened its doors on November 19, 1973 and never closed them. Laserium expanded to many locations in the United States and abroad and has been experienced by over 18 million people. Laser Images continues to produce new laser shows for performance at its planetarium locations. The company also produces outdoor laser shows, night club, trade show, and rock concert laser effects, and special effects for motion pictures and television.Light is made by wiggling electric charges. Whenever an electric charge wiggles, light is given off. Depending on how fast the charge wiggles (its frequency), it will produce different types of electromagnetic waves. Very slowly vibrating charges (only a couple thousand to a few million vibrations per second) produce radio waves. Slightly faster and you get TV and FM, then radar and microwaves. Faster yet and you produce infrared waves. When these hit you, the electromagnetic wave can cause molecules in your skin to start vibrating and you feel the effect as heat. The next increase in frequency brings us to visible light starting with red and proceeding through orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Even higher frequencies yield ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays, all of which are invisible to the human eye. This tremendous set of frequencies is called the electromagnetic spectrum. Our eyes have evolved to use the frequencies most available from the Sun - visible light. Visible light only accounts for a very small range of possible frequencies in electromagnetic spectrum. If you picture the entire frequency range, from radio to gamma rays, as the notes on a piano, visible light would take up slightly less than an octave. However, the "electromagnetic piano" would not have the normal eight octaves of its musical counterpart, but a mind boggling 80 octaves. This keyboard would be forty-two feet long with the "visible light" notes near octave number 52. This would truly be a grand piano!

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