laser pointer

[edelweiss (Eeda)]

Hi guys..is it true that green laser pointer for astronomy is banned in NSW? What about the rest of Australia? I'm thinking of buying one laser pointer however I stumbled upon an article in iceinspace about the ban in NSW. btw,i live in perth

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Laser pointers in NSW can still be used, but only under specific conditions. The requirements are not overbearing as far as I'm concerned, but you need to follow them to keep your pointer. Most states in Oz have similar restrictions, and the info is readily available from the police.

The following link is for NSW regarding the use of laser pointers:

NSW Police prohibited weapons laser pointer permit

If you are in other states, check for your specific state police. Easy to do, do a search for '{your state}, police, laser pointer'.

In NSW, becoming a member of a registered Astro club is probably the easiest. I am a member of a club. While I may not be able to regularly attend meets, I do get to also at least put a few dollars towards the club staying viable.

[Wavytone]

Hi Eeda,

You might like to find someone who has one on a scope and see whether you really want one after all. I should add I have one but its rarely used.

They're great for pointing out objects in the sky to a crowd of onlookers, but as a means of aiming a telescope they're not ideal. IMHO a red-dot finder, Telrad, or a conventional 8 x 50 finderscope are all preferable.

Nirvana if your mount and budget can accommodate it, is a push-to setup with encoders on the mount, SkyFi, and an iPad running SkySafari. Accurate and dead easy to use; you won't need a finder or laser pointer.

[glend (Glen)]

Personally, as a sometimes imager, I hate them. They have ruined a number of my imaging exposures when waved about by people pointing things out in the sky. However they have a place for helping new people or the general public understand where things are if they are strictly visual (although I once had one aimed into the front of my big dob (accidently I am sure)). They are not an alternative to a good finderscope. If you get one then be very careful with its use when other scopes are around.

[Meru (Michael)]

What's your purpose? Depending on what you need it for, you'd be surprised how easily you can see a 1mW green laser in the dark, so if you are unsure why not buy a cheapie one and see how you go with that

[Sconesbie (Scott)]

I bought a green 1mw on Ebay last year. I only use it to show my wife and children what I am looking at and that's it. It is reasonably bright and the beam is not too bad. I called Customs and they advised some of the rules too. They were really good to talk to.

[Renato1 (Renato)]

I've bought quite a few 1mW laser pointers from Ebay, which don't require a license.

Some were dim and only good for dark sites and some were brighter and fine for the backyard - I suspect they were slightly more powerful than advertised, or that there is just variation in the production process. Just keep the receipt to prove you only bought 1mW ones.

They are great for pointing out objects in the sky to newbies, especially if they have binoculars when they can just follow the beam straight to the DSO.
Regards,
Renato

[Louwai (Bryan)]

I have 3... 1 hand held & 2 fixed on 2 different scopes.
I do a fair bit of public viewing. They make it very easy to show people what I'm talking about.

THe 2 fixed pointers are purely to click on & show people exactly where that scope is pointing at the time. It really makes a big difference to the general public when they look at something in the scope & then can see the exact spot when they look up...

THe hand held is for group talks etc & pointing while talking.

Don't use them at all in the city. Only out in dark locations & away from flight paths....