Turned to maximum brightness, the light is bright enough to locate missing items in the grass and take down your telescope after an observing session. Maximum brightness will affect your dark-adapted vision if observed directly, so use this setting sparingly when you’re observing. The Starlite Mini is designed to turn on at its lowest level so you can’t accidentally affect your dark-adapted vision by having too bright a level when switching on. Medium brightness levels illuminate a star chart without affecting your dark-adapted vision. Turned nearly all the way down, the light is just bright enough to let you read your watch, the focal length on an eyepiece, or the Wratten number on an eyepiece color filter.

The light is powered by a single 9-Volt transistor radio battery (supplied) that will last for dozens of hours (with the exact length of time depending on the brightness level used). When replacing the battery, an alkaline or lithium battery will give the longest life. An 18” long braided cord lanyard is supplied that lets you hang the light close at hand around your neck when it’s not in use. The body is not water-resistant, so be careful you don’t put the light down in dew-soaked grass, snow, or a puddle in the darkness.