Universe
11th Edition
ISBN: 9781319039448
Author: Robert Geller, Roger Freedman, William J. Kaufmann
Publisher: W. H. Freeman
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Chapter 6, Problem 19Q
To determine
To explain: The term diffraction and state the reason behind limiting the angular resolution of a telescope. Mention the other phenomenon which is often a more important restriction on angular resolution.
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The Giant Magellan Telescope is a new telescope being built in Chile with a mirror 25 meters in diameter.
Part 1: If you neglect the impact of Earth's atmosphere, what is the angular resolution limit (diffraction limit or resolving power) of this telescope in green light (500 nm)?
Give your answer in arcseconds.
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How does the resolving power of the Mount
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2.4-m Hubble Space Telescope?
AMount Palomar
dHubble Space Telescope
Why does HST generally still outperform the
ground-based 5-m telescope?
The resolving power of the Mount Palomar 5-m telescope has a higher value than that of HST, and telescopes with higher values for
resolving power can not distinguish objects as well as telescopes with lower values for resolving power.
Earth's atmosphere affects visibility for the Mount Palomar 5-m telescope and limits resolving power to about 0.5 seconds of arc. HST is not
affected by distortion due to the atmosphere.
The resolving power of the Mount Palomar 5-m telescope has a lower value than that of HST, and telescopes with lower values for resolving
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Chapter 6 Solutions
Universe
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Ch. 6 - Prob. 11CCCh. 6 - Prob. 1QCh. 6 - Prob. 2QCh. 6 - Prob. 3QCh. 6 - Prob. 4QCh. 6 - Prob. 5QCh. 6 - Prob. 6QCh. 6 - Prob. 7QCh. 6 - Prob. 8QCh. 6 - Prob. 9QCh. 6 - Prob. 10QCh. 6 - Prob. 11QCh. 6 - Prob. 12QCh. 6 - Prob. 13QCh. 6 - Prob. 14QCh. 6 - Prob. 15QCh. 6 - Prob. 16QCh. 6 - Prob. 17QCh. 6 - Prob. 18QCh. 6 - Prob. 19QCh. 6 - Prob. 20QCh. 6 - Prob. 21QCh. 6 - Prob. 22QCh. 6 - Prob. 23QCh. 6 - Prob. 24QCh. 6 - Prob. 25QCh. 6 - Prob. 26QCh. 6 - Prob. 27QCh. 6 - Prob. 28QCh. 6 - Prob. 29QCh. 6 - Prob. 30QCh. 6 - Prob. 31QCh. 6 - Prob. 32QCh. 6 - Prob. 33QCh. 6 - Prob. 34QCh. 6 - Prob. 35QCh. 6 - Prob. 36QCh. 6 - Prob. 37QCh. 6 - Prob. 38QCh. 6 - Prob. 39QCh. 6 - Prob. 40QCh. 6 - Prob. 41QCh. 6 - Prob. 42QCh. 6 - Prob. 43QCh. 6 - Prob. 44QCh. 6 - Prob. 45Q
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- What 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_forwardThe James Webb Space Telescope has a primary mirror of diameter ? = 6.5metres. When observing at 1100nm wavelength, calculate the minimum angular separation between two stars which can just be resolved; give your answer in arcseconds (arcsec), where 1 arcsec = 1/3600 degree, to 3 decimal places.arrow_forwardSuppose you are looking for sites for a visible-light observatory, an infrared observatory, and a radio observatory. What are the main criteria of excellence for each? What sites are actually considered the best today?arrow_forward
- Many 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_forwardWhy are the largest visible-light telescopes in the world made with mirrors rather than lenses?arrow_forwardWhat would be the properties of an ideal astronomical detector? How closely do the actual properties of a CCD approach this ideal?arrow_forward
- The dean of a university located near the ocean (who was not a science major in college) proposes building an infrared telescope right on campus and operating it in a nice heated dome so that astronomers will be comfortable on cold winter nights. Criticize this proposal, giving your reasoning.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_forwardTelescopes can now be operated remotely from a warm room, but until about 25 years ago, astronomers worked at the telescope to guide it so that it remained pointed in exactly the right place. In a large telescope, like the Palomar 200-inch telescope, astronomers sat in a cage at the top of the telescope, where the secondary mirror is located, as shown in Figure 6.6. Assume for the purpose of your calculation that the diameter of this cage was 40 inches. What fraction of the light is blocked? 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_forward
- Why is it difficult to observe at infrared wavelengths? What do astronomers do to address this difficulty?arrow_forwardIntro to Astronomy: Calculate the angular resolution of the HST (Hubble Space Telescope) operating in green light of wavelength 0.50 (mm). The HST mirror diameter is 2.4 (m). Use formula: Angular resolution (arc seconds) NOTE: wavelength must be in (mm) and mirror diameter in (m) Angular resolution = Q1 =arrow_forward11:55 phys.libretexts.org Submit Both the Keck Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observe visible light. Given a typical visible light wavelength of 500 nm, and the diameters of 10 m for Keck and 2.4 m for Hubble, which telescope do you think would have better angular resolution? Based on the equation for angular resolution, what is the resolution of Keck at 500 nm? Of HST? How can we help VIEW Submit %Darrow_forward
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