LPF Donation via Stripe | LPF Donation - Other Methods
Links below open in new window
ArcticMyst Security by Avery
How far does a 1W blue laser go
- Thread starter gv260ea
- Start date
ARG
0
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2011
- Messages
- 6,772
- Points
- 113
The answer is that it depends. More data needs to be provided to answer the question.
How visible does it need to be on the target object?
How much ambient light is there?
What is the divergence and beam size of your laser?
How visible does it need to be on the target object?
How much ambient light is there?
What is the divergence and beam size of your laser?
mortuus
0
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2013
- Messages
- 1,236
- Points
- 48
General answer i would say it would go very far, it would even be visible from space.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2014
- Messages
- 486
- Points
- 0
Yes, it will go very far. And most of the light from your laser will make it through the atmosphere and into space. Though, you wouldn't be able to see the beam in space for 3 reasons:
1: Wayyyyy too far. You can't even see your beam travel higher than the clouds.
2: It wouldn't be a beam anymore at that distance, it would be a huge blue flashlight covering a football field (if there was one in space).
3: There are VERY few dust particles and air molecules in space. (nothing much for the photons to bounce off of)
But yes, as Mortis said, my guess would be that people above our atmosphere and in space would be able to see a blue light on the surface.
If you meant you want to know how far your laser will go and still see the dot, see 2 posts up by ARG.
1: Wayyyyy too far. You can't even see your beam travel higher than the clouds.
2: It wouldn't be a beam anymore at that distance, it would be a huge blue flashlight covering a football field (if there was one in space).
3: There are VERY few dust particles and air molecules in space. (nothing much for the photons to bounce off of)
But yes, as Mortis said, my guess would be that people above our atmosphere and in space would be able to see a blue light on the surface.
If you meant you want to know how far your laser will go and still see the dot, see 2 posts up by ARG.
Last edited:
123splat
0
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
- Messages
- 424
- Points
- 0
In space, little to nothing for the light to bounce off of, so no,no beam. Austin Astronomy club fired a 1W blue at the ISS (space station) and the crew reported observation of the LASER origin.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2014
- Messages
- 486
- Points
- 0
Yea, what Splat said.
Btw, that's cool the people in the space station could see the 1W blue from earth. Did they say how visible the blue light from the operator was?
Last edited:
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2009
- Messages
- 898
- Points
- 0
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2014
- Messages
- 486
- Points
- 0
Thanks!
hakzaw1
0
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2009
- Messages
- 10,662
- Points
- 113
A parabolic reflector was left on the moon and a greenlaser was bounced off it and was detected by telescope back on earth-- +6 to starlight for that link!!
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2013
- Messages
- 1,343
- Points
- 83
Ehgemus
0
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2009
- Messages
- 1,384
- Points
- 0
Yeah they did it on the Big Bang theory TV show. LOL:na:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wopKCDp7tU0
here is how it would look form far away but still on earth..
here is how it would look form far away but still on earth..
Last edited:
Alaskan
0
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2014
- Messages
- 12,031
- Points
- 113
That blue laser in the you tube video from the last post would be ten times brighter at that distance if they had a 10X beam expander on it (and if your eyes were calibrated to tell the exact difference, we can't) but also ten times harder to aim it at you with the far narrower beam at distance. However, go out 80 miles and they can get the light targeted on you just as easy and would look just as bright that much further away using such an expander, if you could get that far out and still have a line of sight shot.
Last edited:
3Pig
0
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2013
- Messages
- 242
- Points
- 0
My green seems to go way further than my blue with a 3 element lens, i know because blue have the beam specs of a turd but still, why don't people go on about how far greenies can go
Alaskan
0
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2014
- Messages
- 12,031
- Points
- 113
When I look at the end of my beam going way out yonder into the heavens, I wonder, it appears to just stop, of course it isn't, but what is causing the beam to appear to almost abruptly end?
mortuus
0
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2013
- Messages
- 1,236
- Points
- 48
Thats because not much light is reflected back and to the eye it seems the beam just cuts off but it goes much further then the human eye will even be able to see...
