Resolving Power Telescope
Angular resolution (Rayleigh) ~ 1.22 λ / D for circular aperture arises from:
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About This Question
- Subject
- physics
- Chapter
- optics
- Topic
- resolving power telescope
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
Interference and diffraction
Even a perfect lens cannot focus light to a geometric point because of the wave nature of light (Diffraction).
- Light passing through a circular aperture (like a telescope lens) forms a diffraction pattern called the Airy Disk.
- Rayleigh Criterion: Two point sources are just resolved when the central maximum of one pattern falls on the first minimum of the other.
- Smallest resolvable angle: Δθ=D1.22λ, where D is the diameter of the aperture.
This hard difficulty physics question is from the chapter optics, covering the topic of resolving power telescope. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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