• Remember your Winter Eyewear before the Snow Hits!

    Jan 10 • News • 3646

    Winter is coming. Will you be prepared?

    Most of us, when we consider sunglasses, think of the summer and days on the beach. The summer months are certainly a great time to break out some cool shades and look fabulous, but you shouldn’t forget just how important good eyewear is in the winter.

    I thought about this today because it is unseasonably warm here in Chicago. Today the temperature was up over 50 degrees! Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to not have to deal with the cold and snow, but I’ve lived around here my whole life, and I know to not get ahead of myself and start thinking that the whole winter will be as pleasant as today. We’ve had a couple very slight flurries, with essentially no accumulation yet, but you can feel it coming.

    While tomorrow is supposed to be another warm day, a cold front is coming in, and with it some snow. It isn’t supposed to be a massive snowfall, but one may be just around the corner.

    Having lived with the snow my whole life, and learning to drive (my birthday is in February) during winter months, I can attest to the fact it is really difficult to drive on a bright, sunny day after heavy snowfall. Much like spending the day on a boat where glare from the water can be blinding, bright snow can likewise severely limit your ability to see, so having a quality pair of sunglasses is essential when you’re driving in the winter.

    Timberland has some fantastic new sunglasses available right now at OpticsPlanet. As Timberland is an outdoor-conscious company, all of their sunglasses are rugged and perfect for driving, playing sports and more. If you’re running around a lot your sunglasses are most likely going to take some punishment. The Timberland TB7078 Sport Sunglasses are a great choice. They’re made of a tough plastic material that’s equally suited to bad weather, sports and driving. The temple arms were designed for a comfortable fit that still holds them securely to your head.

    Style-wise, I’m also a big fan of the Timberland TB7053 Sunglasses. They look great, and like all Timberland Sunglasses, you’ll have a bit tough pair of sunglasses that give you a better view during the winter.

    Since I’m talking about winter eyewear, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention snowboarding and ski goggles. I know a lot of you love to hit the slopes, and you need to protect your eyes. If you’re talking snowboarding and skiing, it’s natural to mention Bolle, who make some of the recognizable snowboarding goggles, and for good reason. Their goggles are both cool-looking and good for protecting your eyes from the cold and snow. Personally, the Bolle Gravity Goggles are one of my favorites. Take a look at the photo. Clearly, they look good, and they come in a number of different color options, so you can pick the one that best suits your personal aesthetic. Additionally, they’re super comfortable and have extra large lenses to give you a wide field-of-view. You won’t miss a thing as you shred some fresh powder with the Bolle Gravity Goggles!

    Don’t neglect your eyewear needs in the winter. It’s just as important to reduce glare when driving your car after a snowfall as it is when you’re out boating in July. If you have some snow coming, make sure OpticsPlanet is your first stop for winter sunglasses and goggles.

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  • View Mars as we discover the Red Planet’s History!

    Jan 4 • News • 2949

    It is official: the Martian invasion has begun! But I don’t mean little green men coming to your backyard. We’re landing probes and rovers all over the planet.

    Various governments and agencies are pushing to learn more about the Red Planet, primarily with satellites and probes for both Mars and some of its moons.

    First up we have a report about a failed Russian probe. The Phobos-Grunt probe was to land on Phobos, the larger of Mars’ moons, collect some rocks and bring them back to Earth for study. Piggybacking on the probe was China’s first Mars satellite, which would use powerful telescopes to take detailed photos of Mars.

    Unfortunately, the launch of the Phobos-Grunt damaged some of the communications technology on board, which prevented the Russians from firing the engine that would take it to Mars. As it falls back to Earth, Roscosmos has said that most of the toxic fuel on board will burn up in reentry. Astronomers around the world are modeling the fall to see where it will land, but most likely it’ll land safely in the ocean.

    Another probe was sent out in November, this time from NASA, and so far everything is going well. The NASA probe will land on Mars and deploy Curiosity, the “world’s most advanced scientific laboratory”. The rover is about the size of a car, and it can do a lot more than collect samples. There are a whole host of measuring instruments on Curiosity to allow NASA to collect a lot of data without retrieving the probe.

    Probably the most advanced tool on the rover is the ChemCam, which will determine the chemical composition of various samples using lasers to breakdown the rocks and see what exactly Mars is made up of. This technique is called Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, or LIBS.

    Spectroscopy uses radiated energy to interact with various substances. Based on the reaction we can see what material the substance is made of. We actually have Spectrophotometers that use this very principle, albeit in a non-Martian setting.

    Curiosity will start generating data next August, which should prove very exciting for those interested in Mars.

    I know a lot of you are fascinated by studies of Mars. The history, possibility of current or one-time Martian life and more make the Red Planet intellectually alluring. Curiosity may answer certain questions, such as if Mars was really once similar to Earth, with an atmosphere like ours, and if so, if there had been life.

    As it is relatively close to Earth, Mars is a favorite object for Astronomers to view. Using even a small telescope you should be able to get a good view of the Red Planet. The Bushnell ARES 5 Inch Dobsonian Telescope is a fantastic choice if you’re looking to save a little money, want a portable telescope and still demand quality. It comes with two eyepieces, a 10mm SPL10 and a 25mm SPL25, so you’ll have some options for how much light and detail you want to see.

    I do suggest picking up a few telescope lens filters, as they’ll allow you to see greater detail as you view Mars. Orange and red filters are best for seeing detail in the dark surfaces, while green and blue will give you a better look at the poles and clouds. On a clear night you’ll want to have a few different filters to get a more complete picture of the planet.

    This month Mars will become visible around midnight, although it should become clearer toward dawn. The North Pole will be visible, as will Syrtis Major, which is a dark spot on Mars. This dark spot is a low-relief volcano, so be sure to take a look at it with an orange filter on your telescope.

    In March you should be able to get an even better view, as Mars will be at Opposition, its closest point and fully lit by the sun.

    Mars is one of the more fun celestial objects to view, and the ease of finding it makes it a favorite for amateur astronomers the world over. Keep an eye out for news come August, and take a look for yourself with a great telescope from OpticsPlanet!

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  • Revision Desert Locust Goggles – Superior Protection and Performance at Every Angle!

    Dec 29 • News • 3436

    Revision Desert Locust Ballistic GogglesI write quite a bit about all the awesome hunting and tactical optics you can use to enhance your shooting. Our riflescope selection has so many options that you can customize your firearm for essentially any shooting style, and we have flashlight models that will shine a lot of light on any situation, but no matter how powerful your scope or bright your light, if your eyes aren’t healthy and safe it won’t matter. That’s where Revision Eyewear comes in handy.

    Whether you’re out hunting, at the shooting range or on the battlefield, having proper shooting glasses will keep your eyes safe and your vision clear.

    One issue that shooters run into when wearing goggles or shooting glasses is a limited field of view. The frames of some glasses can cut off some of your peripheral vision, and in certain situations, especially on the battlefield, this could mean the difference between life and death.

    Revision Goggles have been designed to offer protection and improve your performance. My personal favorite of their goggles is the Revision Desert Locust Ballistic Goggle Kit. There are a ton of great features here, so I’ll try to break them down in order.

    First, since these are Ballistic Goggles, you need protection. Though anyone can buy the Desert Locust Goggles, they were designed with military use in mind, so they’re tough as nails. The US Military has pretty rigorous ballistic requirements, and the Desert Locust Ballistic Goggles exceed them. They’re certified to ANSI Z87.1 requirements, so no worries about their protective abilities.

    But I already mentioned that quality protective eyewear is about more than just protecting your eyes. You need to be able to see clearly to make sure you’re aware of other potential hazards. The field of view you get from the Revision Desert Locust is wider than traditional goggles. And that field of view is not only on the sides, but also on top and bottom. The smart design of the frames and huge lens will help keep your situational awareness at a maximum, and that will keep more than just your eyes safe.

    The field of view is about more than the size of the lens though. With such large lenses you would normally experience distortion or astigmatism, but these lenses are optically correct at every angle, so what you see is exactly where it appears. This keeps your hard-earned shooting accuracy intact.

    If you go with the Revision Essential Kit, you’ll get two different lenses as well, each with specific conditions in mind for maximum performance. The clear lens will transmit the most light, so if lower light situations you’ll see as much detail as possible. The solar lens is better for the middle of the day, when the sun is beating down. They’ll protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, and reduce glare so you don’t have to squint.

    As fogging and scratching can also distort your view, the lenses have the patented OcuMax lens coating, which further keep you view clear.

    That’s a lot of great performance from a single pair of goggles. To top it all off, the Revision Desert Locust Ballistic Goggles are super comfortable, so you’ll hardly notice you’re wearing them, even after long periods of use.

    Don’t risk the safety of your eyes. Even at the shooting range you should make sure projectiles, dust or other airborne particles are kept away from your eyes. Your safety, and the safety of those around you when you’re holding a firearm, are at stake.

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  • Vortex Viper PST Riflescopes – Grand Scopes for Under a Grand!

    Dec 22 • News • 3861

    Vortex has placed all their focus on you. They want to give you a riflescope with all the features of more expensive brands without charging you their prices. The Vortex Viper PST series is a perfect example of this high quality and great prices. All of the Viper PST Riflescopes cost less than $1000, and they have fantastic lenses and construction so you don’t have to sacrifice performance just to save a few dollars.

    As an example, take a look at the Vortex Viper PST 1-4X24 Riflescope. This incredible Vortex Rifle Scope is filled with Argon gas and O-Ring sealed to make it waterproof, and the lenses are made of extra low dispersion glass for truer colors and a truly crisp image. The tube is 30mm in diameter, so there’s plenty of room to make adjustments, and the sturdy construction and materials make it resistant to shock from recoil or being dropped.

    A really cool feature in the Viper PST Scope is the CRS Zero Stop, which prevents you from losing your zero when dialing in large amounts of elevation corrections. Vortex has put a great deal of thought into every one of their scopes, adding features that prove useful for hunters around the world.

    But Vortex isn’t just about manufacturing great rifle scopes. They also provide a number of great tools to help you make the most of every shot. On Vortex’s website there is a Long Range Ballistics Calculator through which you can generate ballistic drop charts with a wide variety of different conditions to help you when you’re hunting or shooting in a competition. You can input the altitude, temperature, station pressure, humidity, scope height, zero range and more to give you the perfect chance to make every shot count. It’s a really cool shooting tool from Vortex that I suggest you check out.

    It’s just a few days from Christmas and I keep finding more things that Vortex is giving us. You have the wonderful chance to pick up not only a fantastic Vortex Viper PST Riflescope, and you can use Vortex’s Long Range Ballistics Calculator to make sure you’re always on target, no matter how far you’re shooting.

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  • The Longest Night Calls for the Best Streamlight Flashlights!

    Dec 19 • News • 4186

    <span class=We’re rapidly approaching the Winter Solstice, which is the longest night of the year. Considering how dark it’s going to be, you’re going to want to make sure you have a great Streamlight Flashlight handy to keep the shadows at bay.

    Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs when the axial tilt of the polar hemisphere is farthest away from the sun. In layman’s terms, the North Pole is aimed away from the sun. For the last six months the days have grown longer and longer, but after the Winter Solstice we can look forward to the days brightening. As the pole is only at its farthest from the sun for a moment, this year the Winter Solstice will occur at exactly 5:30 AM on December 22. The entire night is often called the Winter Solstice, although that name is technically only appropriate for the moment the North Pole is furthest from the sun. The night this occurs on is also sometimes known as the longest night, midwinter and the first day of winter. As our calendar shifts, some years the Winter Solstice is as early as December 21, and sometimes as late at December 23.

    This day has been long seen a day of rebirth, with many religious festivals occurring on or near the Winter Solstice. Julius Caesar named December 25 as the Winter Solstice in the year 46 BC, but it has gone through a number of changes since then, as it has been celebrated as early as December 10. Today the Winter Solstice is based purely on science.

    So with this dark day coming, you’re going to want to have plenty of light. Streamlight is an outstanding manufacturer of flashlights. They design models specifically for a wide range of applications, from the Fire Vulcan for firemen to the Stylus, which is perfect for workers who need to shine some light in cramped spaces.

    But what about for your everyday Joe? The Fire Vulcan is a great flashlight, but when the power is out or you just want to get to the bathroom at night without waking up your wife it might be overkill. For these times I suggest Streamlight ProPolymer Flashlights. These handheld Streamlight Flashlights are lightweight, tough as nails, and bright enough to help you navigate even the darkest corners of your home.

    As their name suggests, ProPolymer flashlights are made of a polymer resin that is nearly indestructible. The body comes in either black or yellow. I suggest the yellow body if you want it to be a little more visible at night. The lens is also made of the same polymer resin as the body, so ever part is strong enough to handle the shocks your everyday use will throw at it.

    There are a few different models of the Streamlight ProPolymer light, but my favorite is the Propolymer 3C Luxeon Division 1 Flashlight. It has a super bright LED light, but not your normal high intensity LED. The ProPolymer LED Flashlight has a Luxeon LED light that uses less power and is 10 times brighter than a high intensity version! At peak intensity you’ll get 44 lumens, and because it’s so energy efficient you’ll be able to get those 44 lumens for about 4 hours of straight use! You can also turn down the intensity to get greater battery life.

    And don’t worry about special batteries for the Streamlight ProPolymer. It runs on 3 C batteries that you can find in pretty much any store that sells batteries.

    You might need a bit of extra light to get through the darkest night of the year, so be sure to pick up a Streamlight ProPolymer 3C Luxeon Division 1 Flashlight from OpticsPlanet today!

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