There might have been times when you wondered if the night vision mentioned in TV or movies really does work. But the answer is a simple but resounding yes. Night vision technology is nothing new and because of the advancement of technology, it keeps getting better over time. With good night vision equipment you could be able to see an object up to 200 yards from you on a cloudy, moonless night or even in a dark, dark room without any light. This makes night vision intriguing and very appealing.

Night Vision Technology

Night vision equipment uses infrared light which is not normally visible to the eyes, to make a dark object seem clearer. Such equipment can work in either of two ways, depending on the technology being used:

1. Thermal Imaging: Night vision equipment using thermal imaging uses heat emission from objects and bodies which makes up the upper portion of the infrared light spectrum. Hotter objects emit more infrared energy as compared to cooler objects and that can be used to differentiate between different objects when looking at them through thermal imaging night vision equipment.
2. Image Enhancement: Infrared light is invisible to the eyes but still exists and bounces off objects. This is the principle behind image enhancement night vision equipment which makes use of this infrared light and amplifies it to make objects visible to the observer.

Night Vision Equipment

There are various types of night vision equipment and if you are looking to get your hands on one, it is best to know which type works for what type of work. They are divided into three broad categories:

1. Monocular: Monocular means having only one eye piece. This category includes night vision scopes which are handheld. They are best for short-term viewing since they can’t be worn as goggles.
2. Binocular: Binocular means having two eye pieces and this category includes goggles and handheld night vision binoculars. Goggles are normally worn on the head and are the most famous type of night vision equipment, especially when it comes to tactical excursions.
3. Cameras: These types of night vision equipment are for long term viewing. A night vision camera can be used to take images or record videos and is best when used for surveillance or live feeds of dark places.

Why is Everything Green

When using image enhancement night vision technology, all images are green and this is a big question to any novice night vision user as to why the green color. The explanation is fairly simple. The infrared photons that exist in even apparent dark places carry light of all colors. But when they are converted within the night vision equipment, the photons are converted to electrons for image processing and the image turns black and white. The screens within the night vision equipment are manipulated to give the black and white images a green color because the human eye is most sensitive to green and can pick up maximum number of shades and hues of this color. This makes the image clearer to the human eye.