Ignoring the effects of the atmosphere, what is the theoretical resolution of an 8-inch telescope (about 20 cm) if you are looking at visible light with a wavelength of about 500 nm?
A) about half an arc second
B) about half a degree
C) about 1/100 of an arc second
D) about 25 arc seconds

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The theoretical resolution of a telescope is given by the formula θ = 1.22 * (λ/D), where λ is the wavelength of light and D is the diameter of the telescope. For an 8-inch (20 cm) telescope observing 500 nm light, this calculation results in a resolution of approximately 0.5 arc seconds.

Ignoring the Effects of the Atmosphere, What Is the Theoretical