A yard light or garden lantern is a free standing exterior light fixture

Light fixture

A light fixture, light fitting, or luminaire is an electrical device used to create artificial light and/or illumination, by use of an electric lamp...

 in gardens and landscaped settings. They are usually illuminated by electricity, but occasionally natural gas., usually placed near an outdoor path or driveway to provide visibility in dark areas or areas that become dark at certain times.

Electric garden lanterns are usually controlled from inside a building by a wall switch, or by a photoelectric sensor

Photoelectric sensor

A photoelectric sensor, or photoeye, is a device used to detect the distance, absence, or presence of an object by using a light transmitter, often infrared, and a photoelectric receiver. They are used extensively in industrial manufacturing. There are three different functional types: opposed ,...

 attached to the lamp or nearby. Gas lantern

Lantern

A lantern is a portable lighting device or mounted light fixture used to illuminate broad areas. Lanterns may also be used for signaling, as 'torches', or as general light sources outdoors . Low light level varieties are used for decoration. The term "lantern" is also used more generically to...

s that burn continually may be prohibited by some jurisdiction's greenhouse gas

Greenhouse gas

A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...

 environmental regulations.

Yard lamps are weather resistant. Water penetration can extinguish the flame, shatter the bulb, or short circuit the wiring.

See also

• Landscape lighting
• Architectural lighting design
  Architectural lighting design
  Architectural lighting design is a field within architecture and architectural engineering that concerns itself primarily with the illumination of buildings. The objective of architectural lighting design is to obtain sufficient light for the purposes of the building, balancing factors of initial...