How to Safely use a Green Laser Pointer for ufo/star Spotting?

reply to post by ThePeaceMaker


Thanks so much, that site is So cool! And good news: not many planes in this area.

Lunette
Ok, I google mapped closest airport. It's small, but it's 7 miles away.. what I'm worried about is sometimes we have military copters going over our house, mostly in the day, so close it shakes stuff and scares the crap out of everyone.

So as long as I keep it on a black part of the sky, I should be peachy right? They wouldn't intentionally fly into it if they could see it probably.

I looked up jet routes but couldn't find any sites...

would recommend caution then as military does conduct night ops flying without lights pilots use nvg ( nightvision goggles ) inflight .. even your small laser will show up bright to anyone using nvg's .. you dont want to piss off military pilots blinding them .. they lack sense of humour in such situations ..

Lunette
reply to post by ThePeaceMaker

 

Thanks so much, that site is So cool! And good news: not many planes in this area.

Your welcome the site is handy for when you see an aircraft or something you see something in the sky and you don't know what is

A WARNING though .. This site shows the majority of air traffic. It doesn't show military (actually it does but a very few selected aircraft) and some light aircraft will not get shown

reply to post by Expat888


Ok, thank you for the warning. I think there might be a military training base nearby, that's why we get the annoying copters occasionally.

Would I be able to hear them if I was close enough to affect them you think? A helicopter makes a noise that is easy to distinguish usually from planes, or are these quieter than normal copters?

reply to post by Lunette


If their doing nightime noe (nape of earth - flying treetop level or less ) at night , blacked out using nvg you probably wont hear them until their right on top of you .. been years but still miss those flights was always an exhillerating ride .. doubt pilots changed much since vietnam they protective of their birds .. the new helicopters are quieter than the old hueys were ..

reply to post by Expat888


So if I did accidentally hit one, it wouldn't be as bad as hitting a plane then. I could say I didn't see them, and it's legal to use the laser for astronomy. XD or would they go men and black on me and go behind the 'real' laws. o_o

I'm not going to get into the laser thing and whether I think people should be able to safely use them, James Gililland does at times....

However, I've never used one and had many low sightings.

I really don't think it matters, they don't come in for the laser. Its NEVER random.

Lunette
reply to post by Expat888

 

So if I did accidentally hit one, it wouldn't be as bad as hitting a plane then. I could say I didn't see them, and it's legal to use the laser for astronomy. XD or would they go men and black on me and go behind the 'real' laws. o_o

most likely youd end up detained .. and get to meet some nice gentlemen with no sense of humour .. thats if your lucky .. or they could just decide target and open fire...

I'm still a little confused how an airliner is going to be able to pinpoint someone doing this. I read the link from _BoneZ_. I also found this article that's actually pretty interesting. Obviously you can see the source, but it seems like it would be awful hard to pinpoint it moving at that speed without cameras or something to capture it in real time. I'm sort of amazed anyone is dumb enough to do this, even more so that some people actually flash helicopters, including police helicopters. Derp.

After two FBI planes and two Portland police planes equipped with video surveillance and an Alaska Airlines flight were targeted by green lasers, investigators tracked the laser beam to the apartment complex the 800 block of Northeast 99th Avenue where Stephen Francis Bukucs lives.
Video surveillance at the apartment complex confirmed Bukucs pointed a laser at airplanes multiple times, the affidavit said. Bukucs also listened to aircraft communications via a hand-held radio programmed to Federal Aviation Administration frequencies, authorities said.
The on-ground surveillance was so thorough, it was determined that one night, it was the suspect's cat triggering motion sensors that operated lights in the apartment. On another night, the suspect was scene walking his cat on a leash outside the apartment.

Would a normal passenger plane actually be able to say with certainty where the beam was coming from? I would hope they could, but I really doubt it. It seems like they needed a fleet to find the guy in the article. Glad they caught him though.

I get the desire to want to 'interact' with an airplane (I always secretly want to wave at the low/small ones to see if they'll tip their wings). What I don't get is how anyone is dumb enough to actually do it with a laser though. That or so much of a jackass that they don't care and get a cheap thrill from risking countless lives.

reply to post by Domo1


** Language warning**

reply to post by Lunette


Reiterating this:

Laser Attacks On Aircraft A New Federal Crime
18 USC 39A - Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft

It is important for you to know...using that device could result in jail/prison time. You should consider it "dangerous" as it WILL blind even at what you think is "great distance".

Do not ever point it at the sky.
do not play; "chase the spot" with your cat or dog. You will injure them.

What you wee chart doesn't say: 25w; causes severe damage...to anything. 55w can kill.

Lasers are not toys, they are dangerous light sources.

tanka418
reply to post by Lunette

 

Reiterating this:

Laser Attacks On Aircraft A New Federal Crime
18 USC 39A - Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft

It is important for you to know...using that device could result in jail/prison time. You should consider it "dangerous" as it WILL blind even at what you think is "great distance".

Do not ever point it at the sky.
do not play; "chase the spot" with your cat or dog. You will injure them.

What you wee chart doesn't say: 25w; causes severe damage...to anything. 55w can kill.

Lasers are not toys, they are dangerous light sources.

Worth repeating.

I'd also add that other than possibly landing you in jail or with a huge fine you could be damaging the reputation of the 'field of study' you are engaged in.

We don't need you ending up on this site....

whatstheharm.net...


And remember this thread? www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by JadeStar


I'm not like her, I'm pretty careful, yeah I've heard of her before though.

All the jets that fly over anyways, are over 30,000 feet, one 47,000. I live in a pretty rural area, so it's easy to spot them. I'm Very careful. I won't point it anywhere when it's cloudy at night.

Lunette
reply to post by JadeStar

 

I'm not like her, I'm pretty careful, yeah I've heard of her before though.

All the jets that fly over anyways, are over 30,000 feet, one 47,000. I live in a pretty rural area, so it's easy to spot them. I'm Very careful. I won't point it anywhere when it's cloudy at night.

Can I ask what is the point of pointing it at all?

reply to post by JadeStar


Read the OP's/ my title

The FBI is cracking down on this.

Something to consider the next time you feel the need to "communicate with ET".

Has there ever been any recorded contact with an alien due to this anyway? I doubt it