Telescope Resolution Limit Simulation
This simulation demonstrates the Rayleigh criterion for angular resolution of a telescope based on its aperture diameter and the wavelength of observed light.
Current value: 100 inches
Current value: 6000 Å
Resolution Calculation
Aperture diameter: 254 cm
Wavelength: 6 × 10⁻⁵ cm
Angular resolution: 2.9 × 10⁻⁷ radians
Resolution in arcseconds: 0.06″
Physics Explanation
The Rayleigh criterion determines the minimum angular separation (Δθ) at which two point sources can be resolved:
\[ \Delta\theta \approx \frac{1.22 \lambda}{D} \]
Where λ is the wavelength of light and D is the diameter of the telescope's aperture.
For this example with a 100-inch (254 cm) telescope observing 6000Å (6×10⁻⁵ cm) light:
\[ \Delta\theta \approx \frac{1.22 \times 6 \times 10^{-5}}{254} \approx 2.9 \times 10^{-7} \text{ radians} \]
This corresponds to about 0.06 arcseconds (1 radian ≈ 206265 arcseconds).
