Red LED Headlamp
Apertura
$25

Two of my old headlamps had failed, so I looked for a suitable replacement online. Some headlamps that were advertised as "for astronomers" had a single button to control a white LED and a red LED. The first press would turn on the bright white LED, the second press would dim the white LED, the third and fourth presses would flash the white LED. It wasn't until you pressed the single button for the fifth time that the bright red LED would come on. A sixth press would dim the red LED, and the seventh and eighth presses would flash the red LED. The ninth press of the button would turn the headlamp off. Obviously, such a headlamp would not be good for amateur astronomers who want to retain their eye dark adaptation and keep their amateur astronomer friends. My old headlamps had two buttons: one for the white LED and one for the red LED.

I found that High Point Scientific sold a headlamp with ONLY a red LED: the Apertura Ember - The Astronomer's Headlamp. The single button, red-only LED, and USB chargeable headlamp seemed to meet my requirements as I did not need a white LED headlamp for use in my observatory. I ordered one. It arrived a few days later in a small box.

Using the QR Code on the back of the box will take you to a web page showing the short User Manual. Opening the box and getting the headlamp out of it was somewhat of a challenge due to the "puzzle box" design. But once you decipher the openings, you can remove the headlamp, adjustable elastic headstrap, and very short USB-c cable. No charging adapter is included.

When charging, a small LED shows the battery charge status (low, charged). The pointing angle of the headlamp can be adjusted. The Apertura headlamp has a single button that cycles through turning the LED ON, changing the brightness (or dimness) mode, and turning it OFF. The modes are shown on the back of the box along with specified use durations:

Setup


Backyard


Star Chart


Dark Site

I found each mode useful at various times in my observatory. "Setup" mode was a little brighter than I would prefer at my dark site. The other three modes worked well for me with "Dark Site" actually being the best for nearly everything I was doing in my observatory. I would prefer that the order of the modes was reversed. When the eyes are well dark-adapted at a dark sky location, the "Setup" mode is actually too bright when the headlamp is turned ON. I found myself needing to close my eyes before turning it ON and then dimming the brightness.

I measured the red LED frequency using my OPPLE CCT Meter. It should be between 670nm and 690nm to best maintain eye dark adaptation. It measured about 650nm, which is close to what is best.

I also measured the red LED on my Rigel Skylite mini flashlight. It was also about 650nm. I measured the red rope lighting in the observatory. It was about 770nm.

Summary

Apertura Red LED Headlamp is definitely a good choice for astronomers. If the order of the modes was reversed, it would be an excellent headlamp. It would be a perfect "Astronomer's Headlamp" if it had a separate ON/OFF button and would turn ON with the last used mode.

I really like having multiple brightness modes without a "flashing" mode. The single button was a little "stiff" to use and took a little more pressure to press than I had expected, but that didn't distract from its use. I'm sure I will get used to that with use. The headlamp is comfortable to wear since it is lightweight and the elastic strap securely holds the headlamp on the head.

During most of my time in the observatory I have the headlamp OFF, so I expect to get many nights of use between charges.

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