The large space telescope that has been placed into an Earth orbit has an aperture diameter of 2.40 meters. What angular resolution will this telescope achieve for visible light of wavelength λ = 4.80 × 10−7 m?
A)2.44 × 10−7 rads
B)2.44 × 10−4 rads
C)2.44 × 10−3 rads
D)1.22 × 10−6 rads
E)2.00 × 10−6 rads

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The angular resolution of a telescope is given by the Rayleigh criterion:$$	heta = 1.22 \frac{\lambda}{D}$$where θ is the angular resolution, λ is the wavelength of light, and D is the diameter of the telescope's aperture.Plugging in the given values, we get:$$	heta = 1.22 \frac{4.80 	imes 10^{-7} 	ext{ m}}{2.40 	ext{ m}} = 2.44 	imes 10^{-7} 	ext{ rad}$$Therefore, the correct answer is A.

The Large Space Telescope That Has Been Placed into an Earth