Answered step by step
Verified Expert Solution
Link Copied!

Question

1 Approved Answer

The two (identical) 10-m diameter Keck telescopes on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, are two of the largest optical telescopes in the world.


The two (identical) 10-m diameter Keck telescopes on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, are two of the largest optical telescopes in the world. For each telescope, the primary mirror is made of many smaller hexagonal pieces that are put together to form one large mirror. The resulting diameter is 10 meters, and can be approximated as a circle How much more light does each telescope collect compared with a human eye? The human eye has a pupil with 8mm diameter. (Express the ratio of the two! Ignore the secondary mirror that blocks a small portion of the incoming light). (a) (b) What spatial resolution arcsecondsj can you achieve with this telescope when observing blue (500 nm) light? We are ignoring the atmosphere, and only considering the diffraction of the light. Also, assume a cireular diameter, and ignore the secondary mirror. (c) How small a feature would you see with it (at this diffraction limit) on the Moon? Assume the Moon is 384,000 kms away (d) In fact, turbulence in the atmosphere makes it difficult to achieve this angular resolution. The typical "seeing" at Mauna Kea, or the best angular resolution through the atmosphere is~0.5 arcseconds. What size of a feature docs this correspond to on the Moon? In practice, astronomers use adaptive optics (AO) systems to compensate for the atmospheric effects, which allows us to come close to the diffraction limit on large telescopes.

Step by Step Solution

3.43 Rating (153 Votes )

There are 3 Steps involved in it

Step: 1

solution a the light collected by the telescope is proportional to the area A1 ... blur-text-image

Get Instant Access to Expert-Tailored Solutions

See step-by-step solutions with expert insights and AI powered tools for academic success

Step: 2

blur-text-image

Step: 3

blur-text-image

Ace Your Homework with AI

Get the answers you need in no time with our AI-driven, step-by-step assistance

Get Started

Recommended Textbook for

Foundations of Financial Management

Authors: Stanley Block, Geoffrey Hirt, Bartley Danielsen

15th edition

77861612, 1259194078, 978-0077861612, 978-1259194078

More Books

Students also viewed these Physics questions

Question

How many stages are needed? LOP98

Answered: 1 week ago