Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Textbook Question
Chapter 6, Problem 7E
Why are the largest visible-light telescopes in the world made with mirrors rather than lenses?
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What is the limit of resolution for a telescope lens with a diameter of 120 cm when it observes a star at a distance of 4 light-years? Use the wavelength of l = 550 nm in your calculations.
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Chapter 6 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 6 - What are the three basic components of a modern...Ch. 6 - Name the two spectral windows through which...Ch. 6 - List the largest-aperture single telescope...Ch. 6 - When astronomers discuss the apertures of their...Ch. 6 - The Hooker telescope at Palomar Observatory has a...Ch. 6 - What is meant by “reflecting” and “refracting”...Ch. 6 - Why are the largest visible-light telescopes in...Ch. 6 - Compare the eye, photographic film, and CCDs as...Ch. 6 - What is a charge-coupled device (CCD), and how is...Ch. 6 - Why is it difficult to observe at infrared...
Ch. 6 - Radio and radar observations are often made with...Ch. 6 - Look back at Figure 6.18 of Cygnus A and read its...Ch. 6 - Why do astronomers place telescopes in Earth’s...Ch. 6 - What was the problem with the Hubble Space...Ch. 6 - Describe the techniques radio astronomers use to...Ch. 6 - What kind of visible-light and infrared telescopes...Ch. 6 - Describe one visible-light or infrared telescope...Ch. 6 - What happens to the image produced by a lens if...Ch. 6 - What would be the properties of an ideal...Ch. 6 - Many decades ago, the astronomers on the staff of...Ch. 6 - The largest observatory complex in the world is on...Ch. 6 - Suppose you are looking for sites for a...Ch. 6 - Radio astronomy involves wavelengths much longer...Ch. 6 - The dean of a university located near the ocean...Ch. 6 - What is the area, in square meters, of a 10-m...Ch. 6 - Approximately 9000 stars are visible to the naked...Ch. 6 - Theoretically (that is, if seeing were not an...Ch. 6 - In broad daylight, the size of your pupil is...Ch. 6 - How much more light can be gathered by a telescope...Ch. 6 - How much more light can the Keck telescope (with...Ch. 6 - People are often bothered when they discover that...Ch. 6 - Telescopes can now be operated remotely from a...Ch. 6 - The HST cost about $1.7 billion for construction...Ch. 6 - How much more light can the James Webb Space...Ch. 6 - The Palomar telescope’s 5-m mirror weighs 14.5...
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- The angular resolution of a radio telescope is to be 0.100 when the incident waves have a wavelength of 3.00 mm. What minimum diameter is required for the telescopes receiving dish?arrow_forwardPeople 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_forwardWhen astronomers discuss the apertures of their telescopes, they say bigger is better. Explain why.arrow_forward
- How 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_forwardWhat is the minimum diameter mirror on a telescope that would allow you to see details as small as 5.00 km on the moon some 384,000 km away? Assume an average wavelength of 550 nm for the light received.arrow_forwardHow far apart must two objects be on the moon to be resolvable by the 8.1-m-diameter Gemini North telescope at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, if only the diffraction effects of the telescope aperture limit the resolution? Assume 550 nm for the wavelength of light and 400,000 km for the distance to the moon.arrow_forward
- How 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_forwardThe primary mirror of a telescope is 2.4 m in diameter. At what altitude will you need to pilot the telescope in order to resolve things on a 3.0 cm scale?arrow_forwardWhy are x-ray telescopes all in space, rather than on the Earth?arrow_forward
- You are using a telescope is to resolve two distant stars as well as possible. Which of the following modifications will increase the resolution of the telescope? Question 8 options: Use a filter to filter out all but the red light. Use a filter to filter out all but the blue light. Use a lens of smaller diameter Use a lens of larger diameter None of these modifications will impact the resolution of the telescope.arrow_forwardA spy satellite orbiting 600 km above Earth is supposedly capable of counting individual people in a crowd in visual- wavelength images. Assume that the middle of the visual wavelength band is at 550 nm . Assume an average person has a size of 0.8 m as seen from above. Estimate the minimum telescope diameter that the satellite must carry.arrow_forwardWhich of the following items are usually seen as reasons why reflecting telescopes are more commonly used by astronomers than refracting telescopes? Select all that apply. Select one or more alternatives: Reflecting telescopes are less likely to distort images by treating different wavelengths of the light in different ways. Reflecting telescopes are easier to protect, because their mirrored surfaces are covered by glass. Reflecting telescopes are more easily pointed at specific objects. Large reflectors are easier to build than refractors. Reflecting telescopes were invented first, and have always been the primary tool of astronomers.arrow_forward
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