And here is what we are up against. Read this reply and groan!
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<<<AFAIK, lasers are only visible when they hit something and reflect off it. Obviously it's not hitting the star which is being pointed out, so I'm just wondering how your astronomer mate uses the device. I thought, initially, that you might be talking about groups in a planetarium or something.>>>>
not true,a 512nm (green) laser beam is quite visible in low light conditions down to about 30mw.
my little baby is quite stunning at night as the beam is quite bright out to many kilometers. i have used a handheld 400mw hercules laser and its almost like a jedi light saber,very stunning really