Question

Using a refracting telescope, you observe the planet Mars when it is 1.95 × 10 11 m from Earth. The diameter of the telescope's objective lens is 0.977 m . What is the minimum feature size, in kilometers, on the surface of Mars that your telescope can resolve for you? Use 561 nm for the wavelength of light.

Answer 1

The minimum feature size is 136.6 km.

Step-by-step explanation:

It is given that,

Distance from planet Mars and Earth is,
`D=1.95* 10^(11)\ m`

Diameter of the objective lens, d = 0.977 m

We need to find the minimum feature size, on the surface of Mars that your telescope can resolve for you. The expression for resolving distance is given by :

`y=(1.22D\lambda)/(d)\\\\y=(1.22* 1.95* 10^(11)* 561* 10^(-9))/(0.977 )\\\\y=136603.78\ m\\\\y=136.6\ km`

So, the minimum feature size is 136.6 km.