A laser-pointer visible from outer-space?

[TheCoder]

This isn't really anything new !

You've been able to aquire lab laser units upto several Watts power for a similar price for years now with little in the way of restriction. Until fairly recently you could also purchase ex US military laser equipment of upto 20W output power for just a few hundred $, mostly parts from tank laser targetting systems.

The only real difference here is the relative smallness of the unit.

btw, the stuff about it affecting satellites is bull. The only possible thing to affect on a satellite would be a camera and all space-borne camera's have circuitry which protect sensors long before any damage could occur, even if you could focus the beam on a particular spot long enough (which would be nigh on impossible without a sophisticated servo-assembly). The chances of hitting an astronaut in an 84 mile or less orbit are remote to say the least and even if you did visors on spacesuits are far more efficient than any 'laser' goggles your likely to be able to purchase.

The 84 miles is also under optimum conditions, ie a perfectly cloudless and dustless night sky such as only ever really occurs at the poles. In the UK, you would be lucky to get 5 miles out of the thing although I must agree that would still potentially be hazardous to aircraft.

[TheCoder]

At 1000Mw you?ll easily burn through plastic, paper and a whole lot more. A laser so powerful, it should be illegal ? but is actually approved by the FDA...

1000Mw, you could probably cut chunks off the moon but I presume you meant 1000mW

It would be interesting to see the proper technical specs for this device as its almost certainly not a continuous beam device. Very few laser diodes could handle a 1W constant output power so they tend to be modulated or 'pulsed', often at several thousand times per second and usually with a relatively low duty cycle (off 95% of time is common). I'm not sure whether this would be a 1W pulse device or an average 1W device (pulses upto several hundred Watts but of very short duration - bit like a very fast flashgun).

[Johnner]

I'd be blinding ~~~~ers who leave their full beam on. But then I am evil..... & a little nuts.

If I had $1000 to waste I'd have one in an instant.

Canker,you'd be ~~~~ing there all night if that was the case !!

[janobi]

You can make one with the laser from a DVD player

[Canker_Canison]

Canker,you'd be ~~~~ing there all night if that was the case !!

Maybe I'd find a busy junction or roundabout & zap everyone who either cuts across lanes or just shouldn't be on the road.
I can picture the mayhem now........ Mmmmmm

You can make one with the laser from a DVD player

You can but the power output is a lot less than 1watt. It also has a very short focal length.

The general rule...If a 6 year old can't do it, neither can 80% of the population.

[DJSimo]

1000Mw, you could probably cut chunks off the moon but I presume you meant 1000mW

It would be interesting to see the proper technical specs for this device as its almost certainly not a continuous beam device. Very few laser diodes could handle a 1W constant output power so they tend to be modulated or 'pulsed', often at several thousand times per second and usually with a relatively low duty cycle (off 95% of time is common). I'm not sure whether this would be a 1W pulse device or an average 1W device (pulses upto several hundred Watts but of very short duration - bit like a very fast flashgun).

I just cut and paste that info off their site so just shows how professional they are

[garry1312]

My dog and two cats love lazer pens, think ill buy one of these

[janobi]

You can but the power output is a lot less than 1watt. It also has a very short focal length.

The general rule...If a 6 year old can't do it, neither can 80% of the population.

Whilst that may be true, I challenge anyone to prove that this can go 86 miles, or whatever it said. How would you even know? Clever marketing imho.

[TheCoder]

Whilst that may be true, I challenge anyone to prove that this can go 86 miles, or whatever it said. How would you even know? Clever marketing imho.

As I hinted above, the 86 miles thing will be a theoretical calculation based on ideal conditions. Of course those conditions rarely occur on Earth so you'd actually be lucky to get 5 miles out of it. Backscatter caused by dust particles and refraction caused by moisture droplets effectively cut terrestrial laser-light transfer down to virtually no distance at all - one of the reasons the US military all but abandoned research on active laser weaponary.