How Fast Is Laser Pointer?

Laser-pointer light travels at exactly the speed of light — 299,792,458 m/s. A pointer aimed at the Moon takes 1.28 seconds to reach it; bouncing off Apollo retroreflectors and returning takes 2.5 seconds for the round trip.

The first laser was built in 1960 by Theodore Maiman — using a synthetic ruby crystal. Lasers are now in DVDs, fibre-optic networks, surgical tools, and, yes, cat toys.

• Reaches the Moon in 1.28 seconds
• A 5mW laser is bright enough to see craters on the Moon