Night vision utilizes two different techniques to produce clear images in the pitch black.

The first technique is image enhancement. Image enhancement works by collecting as much light as possible, even the tiniest amounts of light that are even in the lower light spectrum that is invisible to the human eye. The night vision device then takes the light and amplifies it to the point that you can clearly see the image.

The second technique night vision devices use is called thermal imaging. Thermal imaging works by using the upper portions of the infrared light spectrum which is produced by the heat that emits from an object. Hot objects, such as us, emit lots heat while other objects, like trees and building, emit hardly none.