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A mirrored disco ball

A disco ball, mirror ball, or ball mirror is a roughly spherical object that reflects light directed at it in many directions, producing a complex display. Its surface consists of hundreds or thousands of facets, nearly all of approximately the same shape and size, and each having a mirrored outer surface. Usually it is mounted well above the heads of the people present, suspended from a device that causes it to rotate steadily on a vertical axis so that stationary viewers experience beams of light flashing over them.

What are now called "disco balls" were first used in nightclubs in the 1920's. An early example can be seen in the nightclub sequence of Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Großstadt, a German silent film from 1927. In the 1970s, these devices were a standard accompaniment to disco music, and by the end of the 20^th century, the name "disco ball" had largely eclipsed the earlier names that had been applied to the object.

Miniature disco balls are sold as novelties and used for a number of decorative purposes, including dangling from the rear-view mirror of an automobile.

With the appearance of infrared networks, disco balls have found a new application, as a method of dispersing the infrared signals.

High quality disco balls are made in Louisville at National Products, Inc

The world's largest rotating disco ball is situated in the ABC Nightclub in Glasgow, Scotland.^[1]

Pink Floyd used a disco ball on their 1987 and 1994 world tours. The disco ball used on the 1987 tour was somewhat larger than normal but nowhere near as large as the disco ball used on the 1994 tour. This particular disco ball is one of the largest in the world. 4.9 metres in diameter, it rises to a height of 21.3 metres before opening to a width of 7.3 metres, revealing a 12 kilowatt Phobeus HMI lamp.^[2] Both can be seen on the video of each tour: "Delicate Sound of Thunder and "P*U*L*S*E" during the song Comfortably Numb.

The TV Tower Berlin has an observation deck in form of a disco ball.

1. ^ ABC Glasgow The Building
2. ^ Lighting Dimensions, Sept. 1994, retrieved here 6 July 2006