Flare (redirected from flares up)

flare

1. Optics

a. the unwanted light reaching the image region of an optical device by reflections inside the instrument, etc.

b. the fogged area formed on a negative by such reflections

2. Astronomy short for solar flare

3. Aeronautics the final transition phase of an aircraft landing, from the steady descent path to touchdown

---

flare [fler]

(aerospace engineering)

To descend in a smooth curve, making a transition from a relatively steep descent to a direction substantially parallel to the surface, when landing an aircraft.

(astronomy)

A bright eruption from the sun's chromosphere; flares may appear within minutes and fade within an hour, cover a wide range of intensity and size, and tend to occur between sunspots or over their penumbrae.

(chemical engineering)

A device for disposing of combustible gases from refining or chemical processes by burning in the open, in contrast to combustion in a furnace or closed vessel or chamber.

(design engineering)

An expansion at the end of a cylindrical body, as at the base of a rocket.

(electronics)

A radar screen target indication having an enlarged and distorted shape due to excessive brightness.

(electromagnetism)

horn antenna

(engineering)

A pyrotechnic item designed to produce a single source of intense light for such purposes as target or airfield illumination.

(naval architecture)

A concave curve of a boat's or ship's sides away from the center line, above the waterline, normally at the bow.

---

Flare 

a signal or illuminating rocket, used by troops for mutual identification, target indication, transmission of commands, and short-term illumination of the terrain.

Signal and illuminating rockets are identical in design and differ only by what is called the star, which contains a pyrotechnic compound appropriate to the purpose. The flare has a cardboard casing with a metal bottom and is filled with a propelling charge, the star, and wadding (for packing). The star is fired from a special flare pistol or launched by hand using the attachment on the bottom of the cartridge. It burns for five to seven seconds and has a radius of illumination of 100 m; it may project a signal, the color of which depends on the pyrotechnic compound. The rocket is visible at night for distances of up to 7 km and during the day for up to 2 km.