angular resolution and sorting

Rayleigh Criterion

The smallest angular distance between two objects for us to resolve them for a given 'd'.

Pointillism

An art technique where images are created from small dots of color, illustrating limits of visual resolution.

Refraction

The bending of light as it passes through a telescope.

Light Gathering Power

The amount of light collecting area that a telescope has.

Aperture

The diameter of the telescope's opening, which determines its light-gathering ability.

Magnification Formula

Mag = focal length / focal eyepiece.

Diffraction

The spreading or fanning of waves through an opening or around an object.

Interferometer

Several telescopes connected to act as one to improve angular resolution.

Chromatic Aberration

The rainbow-making effect caused by different wavelengths of light being refracted differently.

CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices)

Electronic detectors in modern cameras that record photons on pixels.

Spectrographs

Instruments that disperse incoming light into its component wavelengths for analysis.

Space-Based Telescopes

Telescopes designed to observe wavelengths blocked by the Earth's atmosphere, such as X-rays and infrared.

Interferometric Arrays

Combines signals from multiple telescopes to increase effective diameter size and improve resolution.