Tools of the Spy Trade; September 2008; Scientific American Magazine; by Steven Ashley; 2 Page(s)

DIGITAL STILL AND VIDEO CAMERAS fitted with large telephoto lenses make it possible for agents to discern the details of a faraway scene. An operative wielding a telephoto camera can read a newspaper headline (and, perhaps, subheads) from a football field¿s length away.

NIGHT-VISION GOGGLES or telescopes fitted with photomultiplier tubes can dramatically brighten available light; thermal sensors can reveal warm bodies and hot engines in total darkness.