Astronomy Hacks

Dark Adapt Your Notebook Computer

Use your notebook while observing without damaging your night vision.

A notebook computer is an invaluable observing aid, but notebook displays produce enough light to destroy your night vision, not to mention that of everyone else in the vicinity [Hack #5]. Fortunately, it’s easy to modify your notebook to be suitable for observing sessions without making any permanent changes that would make it unsuitable for daytime use. Here are the changes we recommend.

Dim the display

All notebook computers make some provision for adjusting the brightness of the display. The first step in dark adapting your notebook is to use these controls to set the notebook to the lowest possible screen brightness. Unfortunately, notebook computers are not designed with astronomers in mind, so the lowest available screen brightness is usually still much too bright.

Tip

Some notebooks, including the Compaq Armada E500 we use, allow you to change screen brightness by moving a physical slider or by using some combination of function keys. These models allow you to dim the screen whether you’re running Windows or Linux. Other notebooks require a Windows-only software utility to change screen brightness, so you may be out of luck if you’re running Linux. If your notebook is in the latter category and you’re running Linux, search the Web using the string <maker-name> <model-name> linux screen brightness or a similar search phrase. Linux-based screen brightness utilities are available ...