Two stars are just barely resolved by a telescope with a lens diameter of 0.500 m. Determine the angular separation of the two stars. Assume incident light of wavelength 500.0 nm. A)1.22 × 10^-⁶rad B)5.66 × 10^-⁵rad C)2.44 × 10^-⁷rad D)4.88 × 10^-⁵rad E)1.22 × 10^-⁷rad

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The angular separation of the two stars is given by the Rayleigh criterion:$$	heta = 1.22 \frac{\lambda}{D}$$where $\lambda$ is the wavelength of light and $D$ is the diameter of the lens. Substituting the given values, we get:$$	heta = 1.22 \frac{500.0 	imes 10^{-9} 	ext{ m}}{0.500 	ext{ m}} = 1.22 	imes 10^{-6} 	ext{ rad}$$

Two Stars Are Just Barely Resolved by a Telescope with a Lens