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Rigel Systems "Skylite II" Red/White LED Compact Flashlight
The Skylite is a unique handheld flashlight ideally suited to the needs of astronomers, or anyone who must work in low light while preserving their night (scotopic) vision. The Skylite flashlight is readily distinguished because it can do double duty as a conventional white light flashlight; this makes it an especially good choice for those who travel far from home to remote locations and carry the Skylite as a primary or backup conventional flashlight.
Left: Rigel "Skylite flashlights, with one set to Red light with the other to White light, shown next to a pen for scale (37,113 bytes).
When Rigel developed
Regardless of the competitors merits the cloning began to impact Rigel sales, and so Rigel responded by developing the dual Red and White LED "Skylite, it was the Skylite which become the compact flashlight of choice. In the Fall of 2003, Rigel introduced their next generation light - the "Skylite II". And in December 2005 the "Skylite mini" was introduced for those who need an even more compact alternative to the Skylite II described herein.
While concieved for the astronomy community, Skylites are useful by anyone who may have to work in the dark and they have found their way into applications by the military, aviation, theatre stage workers communities and more. Hikers finds these to be an most convenient aid that is less likely to disturb wildlife at night. Most employees of Company Seven keep a Skylight close at hand in the home night stand, in our automobiles, in a tool box, etc. These are a utilitarian and affordable gift idea.
Why Red?
The human eye responds to low light levels by dilating (opening) the Iris diaphragm to permit a greater area of cones and rods in the Fovea of the eye to become stimulated. If the eye is exposed to common white light, then the Iris will constrict thereby reducing the eye's sensitivity to seeing faint objects. To see how this works, walk into a room and turn off the lights - notice how over time you will be able to see more and more fine details in the dark room as your eye adapts to this. Scotopic vision has been understood for some time, this is why military vessels switch to red light when operating at night. And this is why astronomers avoid white light sources when trying to attain and preserve their night vision.
As with many other night time use flashlights, the Skylight II can provide a red light. However, while many other flashlights employ incandescent bulbs with a red filter or painted lens to dim the light and provide the dark red color, the Skylight II employs two red Light Emitting Diodes (LED's) arranged side by side. The Skylight incorporates a rotary dial on-off switch with variable intensity potentiometer to permit the user to vary the brightness of the LED's. The circuitry regulates the power so that as a battery voltage drops the illumination will not fade. The LED's are durable and almost never burn out, and their uniform brightness can be lowered across a wider degree than most incandescent sources. Furthermore, since the Skylight II has two red LED's side by side, and a rounded rectangular housing, then the medium flood light pattern is more uniform and better suited to the study of charts and common documents.
SkyLight Flashlight Common Features:
Skylite II Improvements
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