Patent ID: 7377670

Claim:
An illumination apparatus, comprising: a light emitting tube having a pair of electrodes, electrode shafts, leads, metal foils, a light emitting portion and sealing portions, electrode shafts supporting the corresponding electrodes, one end of the metal foils being connected with the corresponding electrode shafts, other end of the metal foils being connected with the corresponding leads, at least the metal foils being sealed in the sealing portions respectively, light emission between the pair of electrodes being performed in the light emitting portion, the light emitting portion being interposed between the sealing portions; a first reflector arranged on a rear side with respect to the light emitting portion of the light emitting tube; and a second reflector arranged on a front side with respect to the light emitting portion, the second reflector being attached to the sealing portion located on the front side, so that its reflection surface may surround substantially a front half of the light emitting portion; and a heat capacity of the front-side electrode of the pair of electrodes that is surrounded with the second reflector, being made larger than a heat capacity of the rear-side electrode.