I'm sorry but this statement is not an informed opinion.
Yes, an 80mW green laser's beam may not be highly visible indoors.
Yes, the dot would be very bright for presentations.
No, experienced astronomer/observer don't want a green beam that is so bright that it ruins their night vision of the stars.
You're saying that an 80mW greenie is not very visible for pointing at stars???
I have experienced astronomy associates that I go observing/imaging with every other month and we use green lasers of between 5mW and 20mW to point stars and constellations out to crowds when we host star party events.
You don't need anything more that say 50mW and if by chance someone does use one that's brighter, they receive complaints from other astronomers.
You might think you like to see a mega beam when pointing out stars but that's just a noob mistake.
No one wants/needs more than a 50mW greenie for astro purposes.
To the OP, I have a rated 20mW green (532nm) pen laser that takes 2 AA's.
This is how I actually got into lasers, from astronomy.
It is perfect for indoor use, pointing out things to people.
It's perfect for pointing things out 10m away in daylight like rock outcrops.
And of course it's perfect for using as a star pointer that preserves your night vision of the stars once your eyes have adjusted to night adaptation.
You certainly don't want the beam to ruin your dark adaptation making it impossible to view the faint objects of the sky you're trying to point out and observe.
If it's good enough for a rig like this (sitting on top of a guide scope), it's perfect for handheld pointing out of stars in general.
