improving night vision any tips?
- Thread starter Man of Tanith
- Start date
one trick i learned a long time ago from an old guy
is if you go into the dark you find a pin point of light ie a distant street lamp or a single bright star stare at it and use your hands like Binoculars ( we where shown using 2 toilet rolls but hands work to )
stare at the light in the center of the the Tubes then slowly pull the tubes/ hands fwds concentrating on the pin ***** of light and after a couple of mins once you get to arms length you can carrry on
Ive always found my night vision is better after doing that than just waiting the same time ( have no idea why or if its a wives tale but it works for me )
the looking round the area of interest to use the more low light sensitive donut of receptors works
also keep your mouth open ( slack jaw Yokel ) as it helps your hearing along with cupping your ears if your looking for sound etc ( just dont get caught
cupped ears, mouth open, wide eyes and furtive looking )
I used to go out in the new forest with dark sunglasses on for the first 20mins as i knew the paths and trees it wasn't a problem but turned night into day when you did take them off
ATB
Duncan
is if you go into the dark you find a pin point of light ie a distant street lamp or a single bright star stare at it and use your hands like Binoculars ( we where shown using 2 toilet rolls but hands work to )
stare at the light in the center of the the Tubes then slowly pull the tubes/ hands fwds concentrating on the pin ***** of light and after a couple of mins once you get to arms length you can carrry on
Ive always found my night vision is better after doing that than just waiting the same time ( have no idea why or if its a wives tale but it works for me )
the looking round the area of interest to use the more low light sensitive donut of receptors works
also keep your mouth open ( slack jaw Yokel ) as it helps your hearing along with cupping your ears if your looking for sound etc ( just dont get caught
cupped ears, mouth open, wide eyes and furtive looking ) I used to go out in the new forest with dark sunglasses on for the first 20mins as i knew the paths and trees it wasn't a problem but turned night into day when you did take them off
ATB
Duncan
One thing to watch out for if you're using a red light is missing things on your map. Many years ago when I was new to skippering a yacht I was sailing on a night passage off the east coast of England. I was using a red filter on a lantern to look at the charts. We had a near miss with a much larger vessel, and some time later I looked at the charts with a white light. I'd sailed right through a traffic separation scheme without even knowing it was there. Because it was marked in red on the chart, it was invisible -- at least to me -- under a red light. After that experience I never again used a red light for anything on board.
Ogri did a workshop at the Moot last year which was pretty good and made me realise that a torch isn't always necessary and that you can see quite a bit if you are without a light. You just got to let your eyes adjust.
The pirate eye patch was on Mythbusters a few months ago and they showed it did work. Keep one eye in the dark ready and remove the patch in the dark when you are ready to cut em down like dogs....or find your way around if you a pleasent chap.
The pirate eye patch was on Mythbusters a few months ago and they showed it did work. Keep one eye in the dark ready and remove the patch in the dark when you are ready to cut em down like dogs....or find your way around if you a pleasent chap.
They used to always just be black and white, for this reason.
Coloured charts are much easier to use when course planning, so have gradually take over. It's a good idea to pre-plan before a night passage, and make notes about things like TSS.
Some tips here as well: http://www.skillsforwildlives.com/2011/12/five-ways-to-improve-night-vision/
I suppose so but the colored aviation charts have been the norm here since before I started flying (decades now) All the colors have to be red light readable for them to be approved though. I've never tried my topographic maps but I suspect the same is NOT true of them as many features on the topos are in red. Haven't really looked hard at the bathyspheric maps yet.
OK , can't vouch for this one so of someone mad enough fancies giving it a serious effort ( Lannyman I'm thinking of you..) but according to 'The Wild Gourmets' http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Gourmets-Adventures-Food-Freedom/dp/0747591571
on Page 74 there is a reference to Yarrow Tea , one of the side effects of drinking too much is apparently becoming hyper sensitive to Light , now I assume that means some chemical imbalance is taking place and you will find your natural Night Vision improved somewhat.
Like I say can't vouch for it myself but I'm looking for a Volunteer.....
on Page 74 there is a reference to Yarrow Tea , one of the side effects of drinking too much is apparently becoming hyper sensitive to Light , now I assume that means some chemical imbalance is taking place and you will find your natural Night Vision improved somewhat.
Like I say can't vouch for it myself but I'm looking for a Volunteer.....
Please don't try things like that.
When your source talks about hyper-sensitivity to light, it probably means the SKIN becomes hyper-sensitive to light, resulting in increased damage from sunlight.
Some plants use this mechanism as a defence against insect attack. The insect eats the plant, becomes hyper-sensitive to sunlight, and dies of sunburn on the next sunny day.
Er , Thanks but No , it didn't mean it in that way . It makes mention that Artists used to use the drink to increase their light perception for drawing.
As I did mention , I'm not trying it and I doubt anyone here will. My 'Looking for a Volunteer' was in jest , although maybe that doesn't come over too well on a forum.
As I did mention , I'm not trying it and I doubt anyone here will. My 'Looking for a Volunteer' was in jest , although maybe that doesn't come over too well on a forum.
I also might add that it helps to wear sunglasses during normal daylight exposure; after all, that's why they were originally invented (to protect pilot's night vision) and became popular around WWII. It also helps delay the onset of cataracts (and the ensuing need for corrective surgery) caused by ultraviolet light.
For many years now, I've used a betalight torch for night navigation. This produces a very dim green light, which doesn't obscure as much detail as red light, though woodland tends to vanish on OS maps. As an alternative, the US Army issue angle head flashlight is supplied with a filter made of opaque white plastic for map reading at night, which doesn't obscure detail, and is too dim to significantly affect night vision.
One point to remember, though, is that if you're trying to read a map in the dark because you're already lost, you weren't doing your navigation properly in the first place, otherwise you would know where you are.
Alan
One point to remember, though, is that if you're trying to read a map in the dark because you're already lost, you weren't doing your navigation properly in the first place, otherwise you would know where you are.
Alan
