Light When firing

Iron man · Post by **Iron man** » Wed May 13, 2015 3:58 am

Hi everyone,

I just noticed after all this time playing, when I fire with my particule canon the light are reflected in the cockpit and on the ship but none light everywhere when I fire with the beam.
Does it's normal?

Thx you by advance

Post by **Vice** » Wed May 13, 2015 4:13 am

Yes, intensity differences.

Iron man · Post by **Iron man** » Wed May 13, 2015 5:03 am

Thx you Vice

PaulB · Post by **PaulB** » Wed May 13, 2015 5:03 am

Lasers don't emitt light fromt he side like a lightbulb - only the end point of the beam is visible unless the laser is fired in an environment that has particles in it - aka fog, dust etc. and I'm not even totally sure about that. From my electronic days I remember laer beams being described as 'invisisble light' and the warning has always been 'do not look directly into a laser'.
Laser light is not in the visible light spectrum. They are high frequency light waves like infrared and ultraviolet.
Most all the movie hype of laser weapons and such is just visual effects for the public.
You can't see a laser beam. If you could they would be of no use to the military field troops since if you could see a laser beam it would lead the enemy directly to the source and he could kill you.
Of course in EM we must have visual effects, same as the movies.

[Edited on 5-13-2015 by PaulB]

Iron man · Post by **Iron man** » Wed May 13, 2015 5:18 am

Thx Paul for this precision.

Out of subject the laser child using to play in red or the red laser army using under their gun. It seems I can see the light on side. Does its a different type?

Capt_Caveman · Post by **Capt_Caveman** » Wed May 13, 2015 12:00 pm

when you view a laser beam from the side, you are seeing the dust particles in the air scattering the light.

also, when refering to "invisible laser radiation" warning labels, this refers to wavelengths outside human visible range. (infra red or ultra violet)

[Edited on 5-13-2015 by Capt_Caveman]

PaulB · Post by **PaulB** » Wed May 13, 2015 8:38 pm

From post: 176778, Topic: tid=11911, author=Iron man wrote:Thx Paul for this precision.

Out of subject the laser child using to play in red or the red laser army using under their gun. It seems I can see the light on side. Does its a different type?

It's been decades since I read those articles in Popular Electronics.
I don't know what changes have occurred since then but as I said, dust or mist or fog in the air will be lit up by the laser so that it 'appears' that you see the beam when what you really are seeing is the dust, mist, smoke, etc being illuminated.
I believe most laser shows - say at music concerts - are using fog machines etc sot he the lasers are visible.
The laser beam in Goldfinger for instance - you would not be able to really see the beam - only the results of where the beam is cutting the table Bond is laying on.
Dust, cloulds, mist ec is also why lasers have a very limited use as a weapon in military applications. When as laser his clouds or dust, etc. is scatters and obstructs the light making the weapon almost useless.
Truly super power lasers are somehat more effective but the size and power and cost make them rather impractical.
They are excellent at microelectronic cutting in making IC's and in medical applications.
The different types of lasers these days I have no clue about.
DVD burners use a laser to burn the DVDs but you can't see the beam.

Capt_Caveman · Post by **Capt_Caveman** » Wed May 13, 2015 8:50 pm

actually, dvd burners are VERY visible, 635nm (red) for dvd and 405nm (violet) for bluray
CD audio and data disks use 780nm (near IR) and invisible.

I have been working with various types of lasers for years.
we now have solid state devices, low cost, small, powerfull very efficient and avail in any color visible or other.
I have home built laser pointers that will burn objects on 2 AAA bateries.

for high power cutting/burning applications, 1064nm (IR) is used because it scatters the least in atmosphere.

and never look into a beam with your remaining good eye

Iron man · Post by **Iron man** » Wed May 13, 2015 9:10 pm

I understand now. Thx you for these precision.

PaulB · Post by **PaulB** » Wed May 13, 2015 10:31 pm

From post: 176794, Topic: tid=11911, author=Capt_Caveman wrote:actually, dvd burners are VERY visible, 635nm (red) for dvd and 405nm (violet) for bluray
CD audio and data disks use 780nm (near IR) and invisible.

I have been working with various types of lasers for years.
we now have solid state devices, low cost, small, powerfull very efficient and avail in any color visible or other.
I have home built laser pointers that will burn objects on 2 AAA bateries.

for high power cutting/burning applications, 1064nm (IR) is used because it scatters the least in atmosphere.

and never look into a beam with your remaining good eye

I meant from the side of the beam.

You can see the dot . . .
But you can't see ____ ____ ____

[Edited on 5-13-2015 by PaulB]

[Edited on 5-13-2015 by PaulB]

Post by **Marvin** » Wed May 13, 2015 10:43 pm

From post: 176794, Topic: tid=11911, author=Capt_Caveman wrote:and never look into a beam with your remaining good eye

I think failing to do just that is the definition of insanity.

Post by **DaveK** » Wed May 13, 2015 10:48 pm

From post: 176776, Topic: tid=11911, author=PaulB wrote:Lasers don't emitt light fromt he side like a lightbulb - only the end point of the beam is visible unless the laser is fired in an environment that has particles in it - aka fog, dust etc. and I'm not even totally sure about that.
You can't see a laser beam. If you could they would be of no use to the military field troops since if you could see a laser beam it would lead the enemy directly to the source and he could kill you.

[Edited on 5-13-2015 by PaulB]

Spot on! As Newton said . . . 'the rays are not coloured'. Colour perception only occurs when light enters the eye and the resultant nerve impulses are processed by the brain. Hence laser sights are only visible as red dots on the target - due to scattering . . . unless the atmosphere is dusty or misty

Of course, in EM, clever engineering has introduced a tracer like effect to assist pilots with aiming - otherwise they'd never hit anything with their beam cannon!! How does it work? . . . Very well! Very well indeed!

Rubber Chicken · Post by **Rubber Chicken** » Thu May 14, 2015 4:14 pm

From post: 176809, Topic: tid=11911, author=DaveK wrote:
Of course, in EM, clever engineering has introduced a tracer like effect to assist pilots with aiming - otherwise they'd never hit anything with their beam cannon!! How does it work? . . . Very well! Very well indeed!

Perhaps it's merely a projection on the HUD to visually aid the pilot? Ya know - like the velocity specks that streak past the cockpit when 'Full HUD' mode is on?

Post by **DaveK** » Thu May 14, 2015 11:51 pm

Possibly but you can see them when hostiles are shooting at you!

Rubber Chicken · Post by **Rubber Chicken** » Fri May 15, 2015 12:32 am

^ Could also be a real-time projection on the HUD. Consider that if cap ship-to-cap ship fire was actually dangerous to fighters caught in between them in this game, the likelihood of getting cooked by a mega-intensity laser fired from broadside would go up exponentially if there was no way to see it. With at least some sort of visual cue, a pilot can dodge what's in their flight path and possibly time passing between laser firings.