Refraction can cause laser beams to bend along the Earth's surface, making it appear that the Earth is flat. Hotspots ranked Start the day smarter ☀️ Funniest cap messages Get the USA TODAY app ...

The beam isn’t just powerful—it’s quite large. At its biggest, the laser pulse is one foot (0.3 meters) across and several feet long, according to the Michigan release.

Knowledge of a laser beam's shape and output-power distribution is critical for optimizing laser performance. Neil Savage summarizes the latest beam-profiling products on the market.