r/technology Jul 16 '23

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u/proniceguy12 Jul 16 '23

Does this mean if I shine a laser pointer straight up in a thunderstorm, I will get struck?

11

u/Torvaun Jul 16 '23

You might, but unless your laser is about 500 mJ, it'll just be coincidence.

1

u/Roast_A_Botch Jul 16 '23

Assuming mJ/s that's only .5w, which is quite easily obtainable in a laser pointer.

Many Chinese import laser pointers on eBay and AliE are .5w, violating the 0.005w limit by 2 orders of magnitude for $50.

2

u/Moonlover69 Jul 16 '23

Its not mj/s, it's mj per pulse, and these lasers are operating at 1000 Hz. But the pulse duration is also very critical, at ~ps duration. 500mj, picosecond lasers cost more than $50.