How far can 5mw 654nm red laser pointers point?

IMPORTANT: How far can a 5mw 654nm red laser pointer point?

I mean like you can still see the dot.

lazerbeam said:

IMPORTANT: How far can a 5mw 654nm red laser pointer point?

I mean like you can still see the dot.

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I would say the dot would be visible for a couple hundred yards.

-Mike

It really depends on the divergence of the laser, if it's focusable or not, or where it's focused. I assume you know about divergence and that laser beams doesn't stay thin forever. From a couple hundred yards away, the dot would be HUGE. You could also use a beam expander/telescope to get a smaller point from distances, but like I said, it will be very hard to get a small dot from that far away, no matter how bright.

thanks!

It depends a lot on ambient brightness of course, and also from where you are observing the dot - I guess you mean for the one holding the laser? Shining it on a wall outside in bright sunlight, for example, you'd probably have problems seeing it more than a few meters away; in darkness, there should be no problems from a hundred meters (assuming a typical 1mrad or less divergence).