New ZWO AM5 Harmonic mount - Laser problem!

dmsummers

Dear ZWO,
I read with some concern the idea of including a laser on a new mount (https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/product/zwo-am5-harmonic-equatorial-mount). As a world expert in laser beam avoidance for astronomy, and an author or co-author of several papers on the subject, I am requesting you to fully abandon the idea. There are too many problems (aircraft avoidance, people avoidance, astrophotography conflicts, conflicts with observatories, etc.) to name. It's just a terrible idea in general! I've worked on this topic in professional astronomy for 20+ years (all major mountains in the world with lasers) and I'm still fielding systems to avoid lasers at professional observatories. ZWO should not be associated with any negative consequences that might come (including lawsuits) when people use lasers improperly (whether by simple accident, carelessness, or intentional misuse)!

w7ay

Not only is it a huge danger to the public (blind a kid's eye during an outreach, and you spend the rest of your life paying off the lawsuit), it is technically useless. (If an aircraft catches the beam, you are also in for a $11,000 fine in the USA.)

Is ZWO even aware that Polaris is a full 45 arc minutes away from the north celestial pole? Unless they actually move the beam according to the LST, and adjust with Polaris' precession with a built-in table; assuming ZWO even knows how to build precision movement like that when they can't even make an ASI2600 be tilt free. Takahashi polar scopes have reticles with 10-year circles for a good reason.

More than 5 arc minutes off the pole, and you can kiss long exposures goodbye.

Not to mention there is nothing close to a pole star in the southern hemisphere that is visible to the naked eye.

Another "look, shiny" thing from ZWO for the FaceBook and YouTube shills to tout.

Chen

wizzlebippi

I've been on the receiving end of a green laser pointer while on approach at night. Fortunately, the relatively poor transmissivity of the acrylic windshield in that rental Cessna 182 prevented anything more than just loosing my night vision.

Way too many people use laser pointers as finders already, despite an illuminated crosshair or red dot being as good or better. Please don't needlessly add to this trend.

davec13o2

A mount with a laser on it cannot be used in Los Angeles or in any US city, for that matter. Maybe at a remote dark site, if it's not under a flight path; but even that is questionable.

Adapt an "ipolar" instead, and increase the price, as an option.

Astrophotog

I concur this is a stupid idea.

stevesp

In some countries the green laser is forbidden