Dennis Woos wrote:
"John Ruddy" wrote in message
. uk...
After having seen a couple in action at some recent star parties, I am
interested in purchasing one of these - they seem ideal for pointing
directly at stars and planets to help people locate objects. However, I am
at a loss as to what I am looking for in one - a quick perusal of ebay
shows models from 5mW up to 100mW. Obviously the more powerful one is,
they brighter the beam, and the further it will travel, but I dont want to
go overboard - they seem to increase in price quite rapidly, as well as
being more dangerous!


Can anyone help advise me on this?

You can't go wrong with buying a 5mw green laser from Howie Glatter:

http://www.skypointer.net/

He is a fellow astronomer as well as a manufacturer of laser collimators,
etc., and is a supporter of astro events.

Dennis

Howie Glatter may be the king of laser collimators, but he advocates
using a laser pointer as a finder. That's just asking for an aircraft
to encounter your beam.

I'm not a member of the anti-laser horde. But, they need to be used
responsibly. They can easily cause permanent eye damage at close
range, and pointing them at aircraft can be a felony.

I do think they're great when carefully used as intended. I use a
powerful flashlight instead since I always have kids around and also
live 10 miles from a major airport. If you don't, the laser is
certainly better.

Greg