One important goal of astronomers is to have a telescope in space that can resolve planets like the earth orbiting other stars. If a planet orbits its star at a distance of 1.5 x 1011 m (the radius of the earth’s orbit around the sun) and the telescope has a mirror of diameter 8.0 m, how far from the telescope could the star and its planet be if the wavelength used was (a) 690 nm and (b) 1400 nm? Use the Rayleigh criterion and give your answers in light-years (1 ly = 9.46 x 1015 m).

One important goal of astronomers is to have a telescope in space that can resolve planets like the earth orbiting other stars. If a planet orbits its star at a distance of 1.5 x 1011 m (the radius of the earth’s orbit around the sun) and the telescope has a mirror of diameter 8.0 m, how far from the telescope could the star and its planet be if the wavelength used was (a) 690 nm and (b) 1400 nm? Use the Rayleigh criterion and give your answers in light-years (1 ly = 9.46 x 1015 m).