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Smoking lengthens dark-adaption time by a factor of three!
Swedish medical researchers discovered quite by accident that smoking
reduces blood flow to the eye and dark adaption time was seriously extended. They considered it dangerous to drive at night within three hours of smoking a single cigarette! This surely has consequneces for amateur astronomers? Perhaps someone will calculate the required increase in aperture for DSO work to compensate for chain smoking? But I suppose chain-smokers can't afford bigger telescopes anyway! :-) Regards Chris.B |
#3
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"Martin Frey" wrote in message
... wrote: Swedish medical researchers discovered quite by accident that smoking reduces blood flow to the eye and dark adaption time was seriously extended. Bugger. I shall have to give up ciggies and start smoking guns like that other guy advises. So far I've found them very hard to light. Perhaps someone will calculate the required increase in aperture for DSO work to compensate for chain smoking? Chain smoking has the same problem but doesn't have quite the bang.. Cheers Martin (Bogger! I've just sent this to whatever email you have Martin. Sorry chap!) Maybe you can get hold of some *cough* chemicals to dilate your pupils and thus offset the dark-adaptation delay with wider pupils? ;o) Cheers, Jim "It's for educational use ociffer. Honest." |
#4
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Martin Frey wrote:
Bugger. I shall have to give up ciggies and start smoking guns like that other guy advises. So far I've found them very hard to light. Chain smoking has the same problem but doesn't have quite the bang.. You're "wasted" Martin! I'd mention pipe smoking but I know how sensitive you are about drainpipes and solar projection.....not to mention your PST. Be (very) careful out there! ;-) Regards Chris.B |
#5
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James Hill wrote:
Maybe you can get hold of some *cough* chemicals to dilate your pupils and thus offset the dark-adaptation delay with wider pupils? ;o) "Wider pupils"? Is this a reference to the child obesity debate? Chris.B |
#6
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That is bull**** of the first magnitude... think about it... what happens to
your dark adaptation the first time you are facing oncoming traffic headlights, especially when it's some moron who won't dim his brights? Orion wrote in message ups.com... Swedish medical researchers discovered quite by accident that smoking reduces blood flow to the eye and dark adaption time was seriously extended. They considered it dangerous to drive at night within three hours of smoking a single cigarette! This surely has consequneces for amateur astronomers? Perhaps someone will calculate the required increase in aperture for DSO work to compensate for chain smoking? But I suppose chain-smokers can't afford bigger telescopes anyway! :-) Regards Chris.B |
#7
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Orion wrote: That is bull**** of the first magnitude... think about it... what happens to your dark adaptation the first time you are facing oncoming traffic headlights, especially when it's some moron who won't dim his brights? Er..You scream obscenities at them as you run off the road? Dark adaptation is a two-part process. Pupil dilation and chemical changes in the eye. Oncoming bright lights cause your pupils to contract to stop you being "blinded". But the chemical dark adaptation is probably still intact to some degree. There is also the matter of your own vehicle's headlights lighting the way. So you aren't fully dark adapted anyway. It's a different matter on a bicycle. If a car doesn't see you or won't dip for a cyclist you see flashing lights before your eyes for a considerable length of time after they have passed. I deliberately shield my eyes from all car headlights with my hand when I'm cycling after dark in the countryside. One's age is also involved in dark adaptation. The older one becomes the more difficult it is to drive at night. There is also a very wide variation in night vision between people of all ages. Chris.B |
#8
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This is all interesting.
I do smoke, usually about 2 a day except when I'm out clubbing at the weekends when it's more. Both my sister and I, but I more so, I think, naturally have HUGE pupils in dim light - maybe our eyes are not that sensitive, necessitating more dilation than is normal. But I think my eyes are pretty damn sensitive when dark adapted. I shall have to do some experiments to see how long it takes to become "fully" adapted. By the way, what's the time constant after smoking, say, 2 cigarettes, for a return to a more normal dark adaption time, and is the asymptotic D.A. time equal to that for a non-smoker, and if not, how much different is it? See, such fanatical claims don't stand up. The phoneomenon needs to be specified in FAR more detail, to be useful. Course, I is a goth, and I wears shades outside ALWAYS in daytime, so actually, I find it uncomfortable to be exposed to normal daylight (even overcast, sometimes), without shades on. Martin -- M.A.Poyser Tel.: 07967 110890 Manchester, U.K. http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=fleetie |
#9
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Ar you sure you are a Goth?
No family from Eastern Europe? Living in deserted old castles? That sort of thing? ;-) Chris Van Helsing |
#10
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wrote in message
Ar you sure you are a Goth? http://www.fleetie.demon.co.uk/images/me_20000812_s.jpg That was back in 2000, mind you. What do YOU think? Ha ha! Anyway, back to the science! Martin -- M.A.Poyser Tel.: 07967 110890 Manchester, U.K. http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=fleetie |
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