Re: Paint the Moon

[Herbert H Gottlieb <herbgottlieb@JUNO.COM>]

On Thu, 25 Oct 2001 13:13:27 -0400 David Bowman
<David_Bowman@GEORGETOWNCOLLEGE.EDU> writes:
> It seems to me that a major problem with the idea (other than the
> other major problems of beam spreading and low total luminosity) is
> that hand held laser pointers do not come equipped with a sighting
> scope so they cannot be properly aimed at a target of small
> subtended angle without relying on the person holding it looking at the
> reflected beam spot to provide the necessary visual feedback so an
> accurate pointing can be converged on.
>
> David Bowman

You are correct in asserting that it is almost impossible to
keep a hand-held laser beam fixed on a small spot on the moon.
However, this is not a major problem. Because the beam spreads
out so much over 240,000 miles, the miniscule intensity of the beam
portion that reaches the moon would be almost constant.

Herb