Oct 21, 2020 02:47 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Night vision optics were a stepping stone in the fields of physics back in the 50s. They directed a nearly impossible phenomenon into an actual applicable device back in the time of obsolete science.

That is what makes the night a reasonably compelling piece of an object. An object all of us want to explore, the device alone raises so many questions like how does it manage to drive out the darkness so well or how do we use it, and why is night vision green and not any other color?

Night vision optics

Night vision optics are arguably a powerful invention that triggered various questions, multiple fascinations, and a variety of responses. A device that has been since the late 50s and 60s yet not been thoroughly explored by the general public is naturally subjected to a variety of FAQs.

Here we will be answering the most common puzzles related to the night vision optics in a chain of simple words eliminating any sort of flowery scientific language, a complete layperson's description.

Here go the questions.

Why are night vision optics always green?

The glowing green light in the night visions does have a reason. It was not merely carved in to create color ambiance; rather, the green color is the depiction of phosphor.

Phosphor is the element that is quite famous for its luminescence activity and how it glows brightly when struck by a considerable amount of passing electrons. These electrons pass through microchannels of lighting plates; with each collision, the electrons burst. The blowout of these electrons creates dense clouds of electrons that further enhance down the original image through a process called image intensification.

At the end of the channel lies a phosphor-coated sheet that, when struck upon, lights up and creates a greenish virtual image on the device's screen. The phosphor blazes out green as green color is the most sensitive color to the human eye.

Are there any types of night vision opticals?

The answer to this question would be a big yes. Yes, you might have heard of various generations that uphold a night vision optic and depict its evolutionary stages, but apart from that, there are two main types in which you can divide the night vision optics.

These two types are:

1. Amplification based night vision opticals: A night vision optical device that works on the principle of amplification. This means that this device simply extracts the traces of visible light present in a completely dark place and amplifies it up to levels that make us view better in the dark. It works fairly well at darkened spots but cannot be called reliable for places with utter darkness.

1. Infrared based night vision opticals: A much greater invention than the previous technology. The infrared night vision goggles are known to use infrared light to blaze up dark places. Infrared rays could convert high thermal energy into light energy, making it viably easy for us to view in sheer darkness.

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