I'm an astronomer, too. If you are serious with the hobby (go to dark sky sites with the telescope and so) you should consider some things. Green lasers more than 5mW are far to bright as looking along the beam will destroy your slowly adapted nightvision in milliseconds. On a darksky site a green 5 mW beam is *very* visible. The advise for lasers 15mW and more comes mainly from people that aren't into darksky observing, or are viewing the beams of their lasers in heavy light polluted areas, like cities. In a bright city nightsky, a 15mW green may be harder to see than a 5mW at a darksky site with fully adapted nightvision.
The greenies, however, they suffer the cold. If you are in a cold climate, greenies are virtually useless as they mostly die at temps below 5°C (I'm in Europe). That 's when red lasers come into play. They are better suited for cold weather. It is my experience that a 150mW 658nm red is about just as visible as a 5mW green. A 300mW 658 isn't that much brighter, visually.
Right now, I am considering buying a 635nm orange-red. Still thinking about the mW's. I think 100 should do.
Clear skies to you.
The greenies, however, they suffer the cold. If you are in a cold climate, greenies are virtually useless as they mostly die at temps below 5°C (I'm in Europe). That 's when red lasers come into play. They are better suited for cold weather. It is my experience that a 150mW 658nm red is about just as visible as a 5mW green. A 300mW 658 isn't that much brighter, visually.
Right now, I am considering buying a 635nm orange-red. Still thinking about the mW's. I think 100 should do.
Clear skies to you.
Last edited:
