Paint the Moon

[Hale_Bopp]

I know we talked about this a few months ago, but the day is finally here. So get out those laser pointers and place your bets.

The designated time is 11pm edt, 10cdt, 9mdt and 8pdt.

See the site at http://www.paintthemoon.org

Doubt it will work, but its worth a shot.

Rob

[David Hall]

You know, I just thought of something. It may not work visually, but could it be possible that someone could detect an effect in a different wavelength? Say for example, you focus an IR telescope up there, maybe there would be a detectable effect?

I doubt it. But what do the physicsal types here think? Could there be any detectable effects from all those laser pointers?

[Hale_Bopp]

I went outside to look...I admit it. Saw nothing as expected.

There was a thin layer of clouds nearby. I was thinking that maybe somewhere, someone painted a small spot on a low, thin cloud and mistook it for a spot on the moon. I have seen some of the more powerful (5milliwatt) lasers do this.

As for other wavelengths, I seriously doubt it. One of the features of laser light is that it is monochromatic, or one color. In order to see an effect in the infrared, you would need to heat up the moon! I don't see that happening with all those little laser pointers. The Earth's atmosphere would dissapate energy and disperse the beam. Only a small percentage of the already miniscule energy would reach the moon. It's late, and I am not feeling up to doing any calculations right now.

Rob

[Mr. X]

Lasers at a natural satellite/planet? Wouldn't be the first time.

I seem to recall a little guy named DARTH VADER and Grand Moff Tarkin who fired a giant laser, called a SUPERLASER at a planet named Alderaan, successfully blowing it to smithereens.

Then I seem to recall another little guy, EMPEROR PALPATINE along with LORD VADER, who were on a certain device called a DEATH STAR and fired it at a Mon Calamari Star Cruiser, unsuccessfully. It was worth a try.

No wait, that was Star Wars episodes IV and VI. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Well they WERE good movies!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Mr. X on 2001-10-28 15:21 ]</font>

[Chip]

What if they sent several million small laser reflectors to the moon, and scattered them somewhat evenly across one of the lunar "seas." (Cost: millions of dollars!) Then during the new moon phase, at a time when the moon was also in a somewhat late dusk sky with it's shaded side toward us; they shot several powerful lasers at the lunar sea instead of those little red flashlight pointers? The beam would spread and reflect back, spreading even more diffusely, but a pulsing beam might work like those bicycle reflectors. Maybe everyone would need special goggles to see the bright spot flashing on the shadowy moon. (-;

Projecting a face on the moon would be cool too. Probably would scare a lot of uninformed people around the world. I don't know how, or if that could be done.

[Phobos]

There is a way of shining a single laser pointer so that it can be seen but it's tricky.

First you need to be very patient and you need someone to do the driving for you. Try travelling where school buses frequent and keep a sharp lookout. As each vehicle passes by keep a sharp look out at the back windows and eventually you will see a moon to shine your laser off, but you will need to be patient!

Jeff [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Kaptain K]

Ouch!!! [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]

[Mnemonia]

On 2001-10-28 23:32, Chip wrote:
What if they sent several million small laser reflectors to the moon, and scattered them somewhat evenly across one of the lunar "seas." (Cost: millions of dollars!) Then during the new moon phase, at a time when the moon was also in a somewhat late dusk sky with it's shaded side toward us; they shot several powerful lasers at the lunar sea instead of those little red flashlight pointers? The beam would spread and reflect back, spreading even more diffusely, but a pulsing beam might work like those bicycle reflectors. Maybe everyone would need special goggles to see the bright spot flashing on the shadowy moon. (-;

It takes alot more sophisticated equipment than mirrors to diffuse a laser beam.

[Moonpuppy]

I'm thinking someone will literally paint the moon someday--with a giant logo of Pepsi or Nike or whoever is the first to put up the money for it. It would be the ultimate advertising, visible nearly every clear night from some portion of the earth, and would also be a tribute to human materialism.

[Zandermann]

I'm thinking someone will literally paint the moon someday--with a giant logo of Pepsi or Nike or whoever is the first to put up the money for it. ...

cf "The Man Who Sold the Moon" by Robert A Heinlein

...good old D. D. Harriman!

[Mr. X]

On 2001-10-29 18:20, Moonpuppy wrote:
I'm thinking someone will literally paint the moon someday--with a giant logo of Pepsi or Nike or whoever is the first to put up the money for it. It would be the ultimate advertising, visible nearly every clear night from some portion of the earth, and would also be a tribute to human materialism.

For french speakers remotely interested in comic books, this was one of [i]Spirou & Fantasio[i], where the "evil" and backwards talking Zorglub and his highly secret plan was all along to paint a Coca-cola logo on the moon, only to realize that his employees spelled it backwards. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]

[Kaptain K]

On 2001-10-29 18:35, Zandermann wrote:

I'm thinking someone will literally paint the moon someday--with a giant logo of Pepsi or Nike or whoever is the first to put up the money for it. ...

cf "The Man Who Sold the Moon" by Robert A Heinlein

...good old D. D. Harriman!

D.D. didn't "paint the moon", he just used the threat as a bargaining lever to pry loose corporate funding. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[Simon]

On 2001-10-28 23:32, Chip wrote:
What if they sent several million small laser reflectors to the moon, and scattered them somewhat evenly across one of the lunar "seas." (Cost: millions of dollars!) Then during the new moon phase, at a time when the moon was also in a somewhat late dusk sky with it's shaded side toward us; they shot several powerful lasers at the lunar sea instead of those little red flashlight pointers? The beam would spread and reflect back, spreading even more diffusely, but a pulsing beam might work like those bicycle reflectors. Maybe everyone would need special goggles to see the bright spot flashing on the shadowy moon. (-;

I think at this point it would be easier to just go there and set up some spotlights pointing towards Earth.

How big would a lunar base need to be for the lights to be visible during a new moon? Assume you're watching from a dark place.

[jkmccrann]

Lasers at a natural satellite/planet? Wouldn't be the first time.

I seem to recall a little guy named DARTH VADER and Grand Moff Tarkin who fired a giant laser, called a SUPERLASER at a planet named Alderaan, successfully blowing it to smithereens.

Then I seem to recall another little guy, EMPEROR PALPATINE along with LORD VADER, who were on a certain device called a DEATH STAR and fired it at a Mon Calamari Star Cruiser, unsuccessfully. It was worth a try.

No wait, that was Star Wars episodes IV and VI. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Well they WERE good movies!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Mr. X on 2001-10-28 15:21 ]</font>

Maybe this is the solution for Apophis we've all been looking for! Right here under our noses! If everyone lasered in on it next time it was threatening, we could deal with it once and for all!

[Dark Jaguar]

A giant circular logo out of the moon's surface... Or any shape really. Can you imagine the chaos that would cause in primitive cultures the world over? An alter made unto the image of the Windows logo? And then, eventually, someone visiting that tribe just sits down and explains it to them, and is promptly burned for herasy.

[aurora]

Maybe this is the solution for Apophis we've all been looking for! Right here under our noses! If everyone lasered in on it next time it was threatening, we could deal with it once and for all!

when I noticed this was a thread from 2001, I knew without looking that jkmccrann would have posted a single paragraph at the end.

[Halcyon Dayz]

We're being ecological here, we recycle threads.