Thermal Imaging Night Vision
Thermal imaging does not use light, it relies on thermal radiation. Every object emits thermal radiation based on its temperature. The hotter an object the more thermal radiation it emits.
Night Vision Devices
There are basically four types of night vision, each with pluses and minuses. They are: monocular, goggle, binocular and scopes. I say “basically” because there are some hybrids available, but for a primer on the subject for us novices, let’s stick to the basics.
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” John 3:20
Let’s face it, Joe Dirtbag and his buddies do most of their evil deeds in the dark. If some of the things we’re preparing for start happening, like blackouts, civil unrest or even TEOTWAWKI Joe Dirtbag is going to have a lot more buddies. One thing we can use as a force multiplier is night vision, it can give us the ability to see the Dirtbag gang and the evil deeds they wish to inflict. For those that don’t know what a force multiplier is, one definition is:
Passive Night Vision
Passive night vision takes in the ambient light in the user’s general area, this light is then magnified several times. The color green is used to display the images.
Active Night Vision
Instead of relying on natural light, an infrared light source is emitted and the reflection of that light is used to create an image. Active night vision can give a higher resolution than passive. Because the infrared light can give away the position of the wearer, the US military does not use them.
“A capability that, when added to and employed by a combat force, significantly increases the combat potential of that force and thus enhances the probability of successful mission accomplishment.”
I don’t own any night vision equipment, but it is on my wish list. I also only have a novices’ understanding of night vision gear. If I don’t use the technical terms in this article it is because they don’t mean anything to me. I’ll put things in terms that are more understandable for novices.