The Hubble Space Telescope in orbit above the Earth has a 2.4 m circular aperture. The telescope has equipment for detecting ultraviolet light. What is the minimum angular separation between two objects that the Hubble Space Telescope can resolve in ultraviolet light of wavelength 95 nm? A)4.8 × 10^-⁸ rad B)7.0 × 10^-⁸ rad C)1.9 × 10^-⁷ rad D)1.5 × 10^-⁷ rad E)3.3 × 10^-⁹ rad

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Rayleigh criterion for the minimum angular separation between two objects that can be resolved by a circular aperture is:$$	heta = 1.22 \frac{\lambda}{D}$$where:$$	heta$$ is the minimum angular separation$$\lambda$$ is the wavelength of light$$D$$ is the diameter of the aperturePlugging in the given values, we get:$$	heta = 1.22 \frac{95 	ext{ nm}}{2.4 	ext{ m}} = 4.8 	imes 10^{-8} 	ext{ rad}$$Therefore, the correct answer is A.

The Hubble Space Telescope in Orbit Above the Earth Has