Messier Memory Problem

[mikey2000]

On 10/12/2016 at 01:59, DeepSkyBagger said:

If you use ANY app (including Stellarium) without a proper red filter over the screen, then you'll never get any night vision. Those screens emit continuum, even if you have it switched to the utterly useless 'night vision mode'. NEVER use a night vision setting if you need to be dark-adapted. Buy some Rubylith (ebay or Amazon) and stick a sheet of that over your screen. Top Tip.

Wow - I'd not heard anything about this before.   Do you have any background info on this?  I assumed just showing red on the screen meant exactly that: Just red.

 

When I accidentally pop up the keyboard, it's definitely *not* red and I can definitely see how a red overlay would be extremely useful

[laudropb]

My solution......

[DeepSkyBagger]

On 09/12/2016 at 22:16, mikey2000 said:

Wow - I'd not heard anything about this before.   Do you have any background info on this?  I assumed just showing red on the screen meant exactly that: Just red.

If you actually let your eyes get dark adapted (30+ minutes in actual darkness) and then look at your tablet, even with a 'night vision' setting, you'll see just how bright it actually is. Of course, if you're using it all the time, then you'll never get dark adapted, so won't notice. Even the 'black' background is giving out way too much light for dark adaptation. 

'Night vision' settings on astronomical software are a menace. Absolutely useless. It's like having ear plugs that shout 'It's quiet! It's quiet! It's quiet!' all the time.

The stuff you want is called 'rubylith'. Not always easy to find (you can get it from the US, but the postage is silly). A sheet big enough to cover a couple of PC monitors should be £12 - £18-ish. It's a very thin red film, supported on an optically clear acetate sheet. I have a sheet permanently attached to the laptop I use whilst observing. I also have a small rectangle of it which I rubber-band onto my phone for use outside.

Even with this attached to my monitor, I still have the screen brightness turned down to its minimum setting. Night vision is *very* sensitive and needs every tool you've got to preserve it.

[Dave In Vermont]

How about my red-goggles? I rather like those for when someone knocks on my front-door and I'm dark-adapted? The wonderful look of terror on the callers' faces!

Dave

[SonnyE]

2 minutes ago, Dave In Vermont said:

How about my red-goggles? I rather like those for when someone knocks on my front-door and I'm dark-adapted? The wonderful look of terror on the callers' faces!

Dave

Dave, Are you looking at the World through Rose Colored glasses?

Ducks... Runs....