Reference no: EM131857478

1. In this problem, you are going to compare the angular resolution obtained by Keck with that obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. Remember that the angular resolution (θ) of a telescope is given roughly by θ=λ D; where λ is the wavelength of the light being used for the observations and D is the diameter of the telescope. Also remember that for angular resolution, smaller values of θ are better since they mean that you can see more details in the objects that you are observing. 

(a) Each Keck Telescope has a diameter of 10 m, while the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has a diameter of 2.5 m. What is the ratio of the diffraction limit of HST to the diffraction limit of Keck (θHST/θKeck), assuming that both telescopes are observing at a wavelength of 2 μm? 

(b) What is the ratio of the diffraction limit of HST to that of Keck, assuming that HST is observing at 500 nm and Keck is still observing at 2 μm? NOTE: For this part of the problem, you have to convert units so that both wavelengths are measured in the same units, either μm or nm.