Skyglow vision
Media
Part of Panorama
- Title
- Skyglow vision
- Language
- English
- Source
- Volume XII (Issue No. 11) November 1960
- Year
- 1960
- Subject
- Infrared radiation
- Ultraviolet radiation
- Electromagnetic waves
- Solar radiation
- Physicists
- Johnson, John
- Army’s Research and Development Laboratories
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- 'Skyglow’ Vision Development of electro vision tubes that will al low soldiers to fire wea pons and drive tanks and oth er vehicles on the darkest night —by “Sky Glow” light—was disclosed by a U.S. army phy sicist. John Johnson of the Army’s Research and Development La boratories in Fort Belvoir, Vir ginia, said the new develop ment works by greatly intensi fying images of objects bath ed by the very dim, but always present light that exists in the sky at night even when there is no moon and the stars are blanked by clouds. Amplifying on a report pre pared for the sixth annual “Hu man Factors Engineering Con ference” sponsored by the Ar my, Johnson said the newlydeveloped tubes, utilized in special equipment on guns or vehicles would allow the fol lowing: 1. An infantry soldier could spot an object at 500 to 1,000 yards, even though he couldn’t see it with his naked eye. 2. Military tanks and other vehicles would have vision up to head lights. The new technique — des cribed as not yet available for routine service use, but headed in that direction — differs frbm the army’s present method of “seeing-in-the-dark” with such instruments are the famed "sno operscape.” Instruments like the "snoscope” employ infra-red or "in visible” light which is ejected from the instrument, illumi nates a given object, and then is reflected back to the view ing device. But army scientists say in fra-red devices have the disad vantage that the infra-red rays could be detected by an ene my, thereby tipping off the po sition of the users. Johnson said the new elec tronic vision tubes take advant age of the fact that the earth is always “illuminated” at night by the so-called “Sky Glow” from the upper atmosphere which is produced in this fash ion: In the daytime, ultra-violet rays and X-rays from the sun strike molecules of air in the upper atmosphere. Then, in the cool of night, the mole November 1960 cules re-irradiate this energy in the form of a very dim glow that includes various types of light, including visual as well as invisible infra-red and ultra violet rays. * * * Water-Battle Field marshal Viscount Montgomery, still mop ping up alter the battle of Isington Mill, re cently confessed he’d been outflanked and outmaneuvered. Britain’s most famous World War II comman der was forced to retreat when floods invaded his home. After a night of torrential rain, Montgomery climbed out of bed to carry out a patrol—and found his garden and orchard under water. Then the nearby River Wey burst its banks and jdined forces with the local mill race. Water swirled down the driveway and into Montgomery’s garage. The gallant Field Marshal checked his defenses. But the water found a chink in his armor—a door from the garage into the house had been left open. A strategic withdrawal was inevitable. ♦ Panorama
- pages
- 89-90