Explorations: Introduction to Astronomy
9th Edition
ISBN: 9781260432183
Author: ARNY, Thomas
Publisher: MCGRAW-HILL HIGHER EDUCATION
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Chapter 5, Problem 6TQ
To determine
Resolving power of the ground based telescope with
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spy satellite orbiting 410 km above Earth is supposedly capable of counting individual people in a crowd in visual-wavelength images. Assume that the satellite's cameras operate at a wavelength of 550 nm. Assume an average person has a size of 0.6 m as seen from above. Estimate the minimum telescope diameter that the satellite must carry. (Hint: Use The small-angle formula
angular diameter (arc seconds)
2.06 105
=
linear diameter
distance
to convert linear size to angular size.)
What is the resolving power of a 25-cm (10-in.) telescope at a wavelength of 550 nm (in the
middle of the visual band)?
How does the resolving power of the Mount Palomar 5-m telescope compare with that of the 2.4-m Hubble Space Telescope? Why does HST generally still outperform the ground based 5-m telescope?
Chapter 5 Solutions
Explorations: Introduction to Astronomy
Ch. 5 - What is light-gathering power? How does it affect...Ch. 5 - Prob. 2QFRCh. 5 - Prob. 3QFRCh. 5 - Prob. 4QFRCh. 5 - What is the purpose of an interferometer?Ch. 5 - Prob. 6QFRCh. 5 - Why do astronomers put X ray observatories in...Ch. 5 - Prob. 8QFRCh. 5 - Prob. 9QFRCh. 5 - Prob. 10QFR
Ch. 5 - Apart from magnification, how do binoculars help...Ch. 5 - Prob. 2TQCh. 5 - Prob. 3TQCh. 5 - Is it better to have a telescope with a high...Ch. 5 - Prob. 5TQCh. 5 - Prob. 6TQCh. 5 - Prob. 7TQCh. 5 - Prob. 8TQCh. 5 - Prob. 1PCh. 5 - Estimate your eyes resolving power by drawing two...Ch. 5 - Can the unaided human eye resolve a crater on the...Ch. 5 - Prob. 4PCh. 5 - Prob. 5PCh. 5 - Prob. 6PCh. 5 - Prob. 7PCh. 5 - Prob. 1TYCh. 5 - Prob. 2TYCh. 5 - Prob. 3TYCh. 5 - Prob. 4TYCh. 5 - Prob. 5TYCh. 5 - Prob. 6TYCh. 5 - Prob. 7TYCh. 5 - Prob. 8TYCh. 5 - Prob. 9TY
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- The HST cost about $1.7 billion for construction and $300 million for its shuttle launch, and it costs $250 million per year to operate. If the telescope lasts for 20 years, what is the total cost per year? Per day? If the telescope can be used just 30% of the time for actual observations, what is the cost per hour and per minute for the astronomer’s observing time on this instrument? What is the cost per person in the United States? Was your investment in the Hubble Space telescope worth it?arrow_forwardHow much more light can the Keck telescope (with its 10-m diameter mirror) gather than an amateur telescope whose mirror is 25 cm (0.25 m) across?arrow_forwardTheoretically (that is, if seeing were not an issue), the resolution of a telescope is inversely proportional to its diameter. How much better is the resolution of the ALMA when operating at its longest baseline than the resolution of the Arecibo telescope?arrow_forward
- H does the resolving power of the 5-rn telescope on Mount Palomar near San Diego compare with that of the 2.5-rn Hubble Space Telescope? Why does the HST generally still outperform the Palomar 5-rn telescope?arrow_forwardWhat kind of visible-light and infrared telescopes on the ground are astronomers planning for the future? Why are they building them on the ground and not in space?arrow_forwardHow much more light can the James Webb Space Telescope (with its 6-m diameter mirror) gather than the Hubble Space Telescope (with a diameter of 2.4 m)?arrow_forward
- Why are the largest visible-light telescopes in the world made with mirrors rather than lenses?arrow_forwardMany decades ago, the astronomers on the staff of Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories each received about 60 nights per year for their observing programs. Today, an astronomer feels fortunate to get 10 nights per year on a large telescope. Can you suggest some reasons for this change?arrow_forwardHow much more light can be gathered by a telescope that is 8 m in diameter than by your fully dark-adapted eye at 7 mm?arrow_forward
- People are often bothered when they discover that reflecting telescopes have a second mirror in the middle to bring the light out to an accessible focus where big instruments can be mounted. “Don’t you lose light?” people ask. Well, yes, you do, but there is no better alternative. You can estimate how much light is lost by such an arrangement. The primary mirror (the one at the bottom in Figure 6.6) of the Gemini North telescope is 8 m in diameter. The secondary mirror at the top is about 1 m in diameter. Use the formula for the area of a circle to estimate what fraction of the light is blocked by the secondary mirror. Figure 6.6 Focus Arrangements for Reflecting Telescopes. Reflecting telescopes have different options for where the light is brought to a focus. With prime focus, light is detected where it comes to a focus after reflecting from the primary mirror. With Newtonian focus, light is reflected by a small secondary mirror off to one side, where it can be detected (see also Figure 6.5). Most large professional telescopes have a Cassegrain focus in which light is reflected by the secondary mirror down through a hole in the primary mirror to an observing station below the telescope.arrow_forwardIn broad daylight, the size of your pupil is typically 3 mm. In dark situations, it expands to about 7 mm. How much more light can it gather?arrow_forwardWhat is the area, in square meters, of a 10-m telescope?arrow_forward
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