[ATMoB-discuss] 55mw green laser pointer oh my

[Dave Snay]

I also have one of Howie's souped up laser pointers. Mine's 30mw and it's
not only easier to see than lower powered ones, but it also works better in
the cold. 

I think that even the 5mw lasers should not be used by children and unaware
adults. They  may not cause permanent eye damage, but they sure can hurt.

ttfn,
Dave
> -----Original Message-----
> From: atmob-discuss-bounces at atmob.org [mailto:atmob-discuss-
> bounces at atmob.org] On Behalf Of Tinkler, James B (CSC) (US SSA)
> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 12:00 PM
> To: George Roberts; atmob-discuss at atmob.org
> Subject: RE: [ATMoB-discuss] 55mw green laser pointer oh my
> 
> I bought a 25mw green laser from Howie Glatter
> (http://www.skypointer.net/) a few years ago and have been very happy
> with it.  I have labeled it as "Not for use by children" and will not
> even let adults I do not know well use it.  The "light saber" factor of
> it being so "cool" just makes it to dangerous.  I have never had a
> problem with people being able to see it at this level of brightness.
> It is, as you said, a great teaching tool.  My advice with green lasers
> with power outputs over 5mw is to treat them like weapons.  Be very
> careful who gets to touch it and how it is used.  Never let anyone
> without prior instruction use it.
> 
> -Bruce Tinkler
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: atmob-discuss-bounces at atmob.org
> [mailto:atmob-discuss-bounces at atmob.org] On Behalf Of George Roberts
> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 11:38 AM
> To: atmob-discuss at atmob.org
> Subject: [ATMoB-discuss] 55mw green laser pointer oh my
> 
> Because of discussion on this email list I decided to purchase a <5mw
> green laser pointer for use at star parties to point out stars
> and satellites in the sky.  Green is supposedly 6 times brighter to the
> eye than a red laser pointer of the same wattage.  Well it
> worked for me but was difficult to see.  Soon I learned that people more
> than 2 feet away could barely see it and by 3 feet away it
> was hopeless.  I was never able to use it successfully with more than
> one person at a time and I stopped using it.
> 
> BUT ALL THAT HAS CHANGED !!!!
> 
> I bought and received a 55mw green laser.  It is much more dangerous to
> the eye and it is recommended that you wear goggles if you
> point it anywhere near reflective surfaces which are in every direction
> indoors.  But man is it bright!  When it is dark enough to
> still read you can already see the beam.  When it is fully dark in
> Wellesley (mag 3 limiting magnitude) you can see the beam clearly
> 100 feet away and you can see which star it is pointed to within a
> degree or less.  I wouldn't want to get any brighter than 55mw.
> It is just a fantastic tool for pointing out objects in the sky.  Many
> times I have spotted a mag 3 satellite and most of the kids
> around me can't find it.  The satellite is usually gone before the last
> 10% of the kids get a chance to see it.  This is *not*
> suitable as a laser pointer indoors - it is just too bright and too
> dangerous.  Also you need to look for aircraft before turning it
> on each time.
> 
> The laser fits in the same tiny package as the 5mw laser - the size of a
> large pen.  It takes 2 AAA batteries and I have only used
> it with rechargable Nimh which are of a lower voltage and thus probably
> lower power than alkaline batteries.  The lasers only seem
> to be available from one place (according to many people who have
> looked) and they are $210.  They have much more powerful lasers
> but I think that the next one up, 75mw, would be too bright and I
> suspect you could get away with 35mw (the next model down) just
> fine.
> 
> I got mine at:
> http://wickedlasers.com/
> 
> - George Roberts
> http://gr5.org
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