Green Laser

[gsjag]

Does anyone have experience of green laser pointers? I bought one from e-bay (yeah, I know) and it does work, but in a strange way. What happens is that when you switch it on, it behaves rather like a red laser pointer (but with a green spot obviously), i.e. you get a spot of light but don’t see a beam. Leave it on for 20-30 seconds and the beam begins to become noticeable. It seems that the longer you leave it on, the stronger the beam becomes, although it never looks like the really solid light that you see in adverts. Is this the way they behave? Do you need a really dark environment to use them? OK, it was only £17 so I’m not really complaining or even surprised, just curious.

Thanks for any help or advice you can offer.

Gary

[Ambermile]

Apart from being the work of the devil astronomically speaking, you should see the beam right off. What power rating is it? You should be over 3mW, ideally 5 minimum. For the price I'm guessing you have a low power job.

Arthur

[Kain]

I'm bad with my laser, I turn off the streetlights with it

Works for about 10 mins

Kain

[FLO]

Mine uses a Sony 5mw diode (rated 3R). I can only see the beam at night. After saying that, it is visible because it illuminates particles/moisture in the air so if you are lucky enough to have clear/dry air, you probably won't see the beam.

They are great for showing others around the sky and help considerably when pointing a scope but, and its a big BUT, you need to be careful when and where you use them: http://tinyurl.com/o8fwg

They can also damage eyesight!

Quote:

Class 3R lasers are higher powered devices than Class 1 and Class 2 and may have a maximum output power of 5 mW or 5 times the Accessible Emission Limit (AEL) for a Class 1 product. The laser beams from these products exceed the maximum permissible exposure for accidental viewing and can potentially cause eye injuries.

They are not welcome at Star Parties!

[gsjag]

Thanks for all the pointers guys (no pun intended). Arthur - Its purported to be 8mw. I have checked the battries btw.

[Ambermile]

Well, if it *is* 8mW and you can't see it then it's knackered!

[gsjag]

Yeah, sounds like a duffer doesn't it? Lets see what the e-traders like with replacing faulty goods!

Thanks Arthur.

Gary

[gsjag]

And it was a duffer. E-bayer exchanged for another and I'm sure you could actually walk up the light beam produced by this one!

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice.

Gary

PS E-bayer was Toptradeshop

[The Warthog]

You know that you will be unwelcome at a star party or anywhere people are doing astrophotography, eh?

[gsjag]

Yeah I know, bit like a bottle whiskey at an AA meeting, but thanks WH.

Interesting that there are now some (one?) finders based on strapping a greenlaser to your 'scope for alignment. Wonder how well they'll sell?

[robindurant]

AE or Telescope House sell a bracket to fit to your Scope to take a Laser Pen. ( approx. £15.00 ) It is adjustable like any other Finder. I have one attatched to my Scope and find it a quick way to aim at an object and use my Telrad for fine adjustment. However as Warthog said only use this when alone and for short periods and not at any passing aircraft & NOT at any person. There has been a great deal of discussion on the Nexstar Forum regarding the pros & cons of Lasers. I think the answer is use your commom sense when using one, they can cause harm or at least irritation to others.

Robin

[The Warthog]

Yeah I know, bit like a bottle whiskey at an AA meeting, but thanks WH.

Interesting that there are now some (one?) finders based on strapping a greenlaser to your 'scope for alignment. Wonder how well they'll sell?

Um, more like a Harley-Davidson at a transcendental meditation weekend. Using them as finders isn't a bad idea as long as it isn't interfering with another amateur astronomer.

[Ambermile]

... another use I heard of was to strap one to a little etx in the middle of a group of novice astronomers with their own telescopes then using the goto on the etx to help the group find targets. Nice idea but not if there's someone around taking piccies!

Arthur