Simple flashlight trick to help get around when looking at tonight’s supermoon and meteor shower
Nightowls take notice! The last supermoon of 2022 occurs tonight along with the start of the Perseid meteor shower’s peak!
The supermoon as you’ll recall is the name given when the moon is full and happens to be closest to Earth on its orbit around our planet. The meteor shower (though it’s peak starts tonight) goes on for a while, so August 13th be sure to keep a sharp eye to the sky to increase your chances of seeing a shooting star.
When you’re looking for shooting stars outside you know that your odds are best when you’re outside away from city lights. Getting around in the darkness is safest of course with a flashlight. But a flashlight can quickly overwhelm your eyes with light making it difficult to spot things in the night sky like meteors.
A trick you can do to help your eyes stay better focused in the dark is to take red cellophane (a plastic-like material found at arts and crafts stores) and using a rubber band, put it around the end of your flashlight.
When you turn the flashlight on, instead of getting a big blast of light, you’ll have a muted red light which is easier on your eyes and will allow you to see where you’re going without overwhelming your eyes with light. This will allow you to better spot things like shooting stars during meteor showers. You can learn more about this concept here.
As you notice in the image above, the red light is much less distracting (to you and the animals in the wild around you) and will prevent your eyes from being flooded to keep them primed for seeing things in the dark outside.
So the next time you go looking for a shooting star, consider a stop at the arts and crafts store for a few simple supplies to make it easier on your eyes.
