I have been wearing a headlamp for astronomy activites for years. It
leaves both hands free. I cannot understand the people that grip
flashlights in their teeth.

Matthew Ota

John Beaderstadt wrote:

This is almost certainly old news, but it's still a wonderful item for
anyone who hasn't yet discovered it. Also, I don't recall seeing it
mentioned here.

For ~$25, you can buy headlamps at sporting goods stores, in the
hunting/camping section. These are lamps which, as you'd expect, fit
onto your head with elastic bands. I found one with a three-way
switch that cycles between red, conventional and tungsten (?) flood.
It runs off of 3 AA batteries which last about eight hours, and the
light is adjustable in the up-down direction.

You just put it on your head, position the lamp for comfortable
reading, then forget about it. The batteries can last all night, and
the lamp doesn't get in the way when you go to the eyepiece. There's
no more groping in the dark or stumbling over your equipment when you
get back from taking a pee (there's also no more peeing on your
equipment).

Just thought I'd mention it. I cut out a section of my lens case for
my lamp; it takes about the same space as two eyepieces.


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Beady's 11th Law of Social Harmonics: "Your spouse is precisely the kind of person someone like you would choose to marry."