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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Hellos all around...

dreaming

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2020
Messages
51
Points
18
I lead a wearisome life so I usually avoid introductions because they tend to make people uncomfortable lol. I'm a disabled US Marine Corps veteran, although much more laid back than the norm. I mostly do spiritual junk that I won't bore you by describing. I repaired lasers in the military, that was my MOS, so I'm familiar with laser safety, etc. I live on a small, non-noteworthy island in the Pacific Ocean. Don't be jealous for an instant: it's expensive, covered in insects, and the people are angry all the time about everything. Good coconuts tho. Free sharks, too: just jump in the water and grab one and if you make it back to shore it's all yours!

Lately I've been buying lights to pass the time. Many solar lights, cheap stuff for the yard to take advantage of the tropical sun, but a few weeks ago I ordered a 100mw 488nm from Sanwu with a 3x beam expander, and I primarily joined here just to post beamshots when it comes in (and ask questions which you'll probably get annoyed at me asking as I haven't studied laser technologies in 20 years).

Other than the usual ebay 303s and other entry-level junk, I probably won't be buying any other pointers unless an RGB comes out for under $500. I am tempted to get a 473nm or 465nm, but unless I can find one around 100mw - 200mw I'll probably just stick with the 488nm. If they start making golden laser pointers again I might pick one up.

I might make a buy thread for a 465nm - 473nm pointer once I accrue enough posts to do so.

Anyway, that's my intro, if anyone wants to babble about books, meditation or being kind to people hit me up, I guess, because other than lights and camping gear I suppose that's about all I care for anymore :)
 





Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Messages
26
Points
3
Hi, welcome, I joined myself just day before yesterday. Don't look to me for great laser knowledge (it sounds like you know more than I do already) although I've got an excellent mechanical engineering background so if you ever have questions about fluid mechanics or thermodynamics, hit me up. Or photography outside of visible light, that's my other specialty.

*waves*
 

dreaming

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2020
Messages
51
Points
18
Welcome to the forums! Can I know which island in particular? 😄

-Alex
Thanks! Currently on Kauai for the moment, but I could end up departing for another shore at pretty much any time. "Any way the winds blow, doesn't really matter to me".
Hi, welcome, I joined myself just day before yesterday. Don't look to me for great laser knowledge (it sounds like you know more than I do already) although I've got an excellent mechanical engineering background so if you ever have questions about fluid mechanics or thermodynamics, hit me up. Or photography outside of visible light, that's my other specialty.

*waves*
*waves back*

I like your name. "Photography outside of visible light" is an interesting concept. The patterns and colors of the natural world conceal so much that we can't detect with our senses. Our ability to create artificial sensing devices to reveal the hidden aspects of nature is such an amazing thing, and we're so used to it that we usually take it for granted. Then to go on not only to create things that can sense the unseen, but also photograph it, is very impressive.
 
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Messages
26
Points
3
I like your name. "Photography outside of visible light" is an interesting concept. The patterns and colors of the natural world conceal so much that we can't detect with our senses. Our ability to create artificial sensing devices to reveal the hidden aspects of nature is such an amazing thing, and we're so used to it that we usually take it for granted.
So true! Here is what snow looks like between 1500-1600nm (taken with a camera with a germanium sensor, not silicon) in shortwave infrared:
pano3_blended_fused UVP.jpg

and 980nm (near infrared, taken on a silicon camera with blocking filter removed):
snow pano 980nm UVP_res.jpg

and visible light (with iPhone):
pano3 visible UVP.jpg
 
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Messages
26
Points
3
Water's absorption spectrum looks like this in infrared:
Water absorption NIR-SWIR.png

That's a logarithmic scale, and visible light isn't even on the graph, so you can imagine how low the absorption is in visible light compared to the 1500-1600nm range! The dotted line shows the transmission of the 980nm filter I used for the middle photo. At 1450nm, I discovered I could dip a paintbrush in some water and use it like ink.
 




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