AST101H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Segmented Mirror, Light Pollution
Document Summary
Galileo made the first astronomical telescope in 1609 - revolutionary impact. 10 largest telescopes have been built since 1993. We can also send telescopes into space and to objects in the solar system. We see by the light that enters the pupil of our eye. Pupil is a circle with an area = pi r2 pupil. Our pupils maximum diameter is about 8 mm when it expands = adapts to total darkness. A telescope gives us a pupil bigger than our eye. Gain = area of telescope / area of pupil = (diameter of telescope / diameter of pupil)^2. Resolving power means seeing finer detail, not just larger images = magnification. Resolving power means that we can separate features just a tiny angle apart = angular resolution. Angle = (wavelength of light) / d (diameter of pupil or telescope) Bigger d - smaller angle = better resolution. Using the people of our eye, we can resolve angles >1".
