Comments on: Dangerous Laser Pointer Advice

By: green laser pointer

green laser pointer — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:18:44 +0000

The video about laser beam is really cool.

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By: Health- links 3/23

Health- links 3/23 — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:30:21 +0000

[...] I was intrigued about as a child has been long forgotten. Tony the Astronomy Buff warns us of the Danger Of Laser Pointers commonly used to point out objects in the [...]

By: Andrew Cooper

Andrew Cooper — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:10:25 +0000

I too faced the choice of how power I needed to go when recently buying a new pointer to replace a dying one. 5mW was not sufficient, I work with large crowds every week or two, Moon or no moon I work with what the sky offers. The green laser is just too useful in communicating with your audience, I needed to figure out what was safe.

You can inflict injury with a 5mW unit. Some doctors at Mayo proved it, but it took ridiculously long exposures to do it, around 60 sec.

A 100mW unit can inflict damage in milliseconds! These should never be used as public pointers where accidental exposure is always a risk.

I compromised at 25-30mW where the beam visibility is good with a large crowd and it can be used with some moonlight. But damage would be difficult to inflict since the time needed is longer than the blink reflex.

I wrote an article over at my own website that gives some of the better references I used to come up with the power level. Real data, real damage inflicted, make the decision on more than a guess.

http://www.darkerview.com/darkview/index.php?/archives/144-Public-Astronomy-Laser-Power-and-Safety.html

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:36:22 +0000

AstroGeek: Nice article and I’ve often thought about getting one of those lasers, but not as a pointer. I would like to have one because I’m a physics geek.

RapidEye: Excellent point. If it’s so bright outside that you need one of those then you’re not going to see much anyway. You also are correct about the 5mw limit regulating laser pointers. I wonder how they can sell these things?

Seeing how that thing heats up paper, lights matches, etc. this things would be disasterous at a star party. I never bring sensitve equipment, like a laptop or camera, to large star parties for fear of someone stumbling on them by accident, I think star parties, unless its one of those like Stellafane, should just be for looking up, talking about the night sky and casual telescope observing through an eyepiece.

Keep it simple and no one gets hurt.

Thanks guys, great comments!

By: RapidEye

RapidEye — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:46:14 +0000

Anyone that recommends a 100mW laser for astronomy usage is an irresponsible idiot! Legally, they aren’t supposed to have anything over 5mW anyway: I’m certain he is leaving himself wide open for litigation now…

If local light pollution is so bad you can’t see a 5mW unit, there isn’t anything worth trying to see anyway!

I’ve got a 5mW unit and love it when I’m observing in my pasture at home, but if I pulled it out at a star party, I’d be shown the gate pretty quickly.

By: Astrogeek

Astrogeek — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 04:27:31 +0000

I have a 5mw and a 125mw. I have, on occasion, let my 12 year old daughter (under constant supervision) use the 5mw to point out stars, planets, and constellations at Fremont Peak. There is no way she’s ever getting near the 125mw. That’s reserved for me to use in bright conditions (moonlight, or under streetlights, etc).

As I say in my blog post on the topic, This is Not a Toy.