Long ago, during a pitch black observing session at a weekend Astronomy course, I watched, amazed, as an observer abruptly disappeared. Unfortunately, this was not because the darkness itself had enfolded them, but that they had precipitously fallen into an unseen four-foot gully. Total darkness is great for astronomy, but not for seeing what you are doing or where you are going. With true irony, astronomers need to do both.
This headband flashlight enables vision with due respect to the needs of astronomy. White and dark-adaption red illumination is provided by one white and three red LEDs respectively. The forehead lights themselves are held in a 83g low-profile unit that does not protrude like some that aspire to Dalek-like proportions. There is a large power button too, for frostbitten or gloved fingers. Three AAA batteries supply up to 200 hours of energy — more than enough for many ‘torch’urous observing sessions.
Price: £34.95
For more information: www.princetontec.com www.tringastro.co.uk