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All large astronomical telescopes are reflectors because a. chromatic aberration is minimized. b. they are not as heavy as refracting telescopes. c. they can be shorter than refracting telescopes. d. all of the above

Short Answer

Expert verified
d. all of the above

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Reflecting Telescopes

Reflecting telescopes use mirrors to gather and focus light. This design offers several advantages over refracting telescopes, which use lenses.
02

Addressing Chromatic Aberration

Chromatic aberration occurs when different wavelengths of light are focused at different points, which is a problem in refracting telescopes. Reflecting telescopes, using mirrors, do not suffer from this issue.
03

Comparing Weight

Refracting telescopes require large, heavy lenses, especially for large apertures. Mirrors used in reflecting telescopes can be lighter and more manageable.
04

Considering Telescope Length

Refracting telescopes need long tubes to focus light effectively, making them bulkier. Reflecting telescopes can be designed more compactly without compromising their ability to gather light.
05

Evaluating 'All of the Above'

Given that reflecting telescopes minimize chromatic aberration, are generally less heavy, and can be shorter than refracting telescopes, all three advantages apply.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration is a type of distortion in which different colors of light fail to converge at the same point after passing through a lens. This can lead to images with colored fringes and a lack of sharpness.

Reflecting telescopes eliminate this problem by using mirrors, rather than lenses, to gather and focus light. Mirrors reflect all wavelengths of light equally, so there’s no dispersion based on color. This means the light from stars and other celestial objects focuses at a single point, resulting in clear and sharp images.

Clearly, minimizing chromatic aberration is a vital advantage for reflecting telescopes when pursuing precise astronomical observations.
Telescope Weight
Weight is an important consideration when designing large telescopes for astronomical purposes. Refracting telescopes rely on large lenses to gather light, and these lenses can be very heavy and difficult to support.

On the other hand, reflecting telescopes use mirrors, which can be much lighter than lenses of the same size. This makes it easier to construct larger telescopes without adding excessive weight.

The reduced weight also means less strain on the telescope’s structural components, allowing for easier adjustments and more stable imaging.
Telescope Design
The design of a telescope significantly impacts its usability and effectiveness. Refracting telescopes need long tubes to focus light effectively, which can make them bulky and difficult to manage.

Reflecting telescopes are designed more compactly. By utilizing mirrors, they can reflect light back and forth within a shorter optical path. This compact design makes them easier to handle and allows for larger apertures, which means they can gather more light.

In summary, the design of reflecting telescopes offers crucial advantages, such as improved image quality, reduced weight, and a more compact structure, making them highly effective for astronomical observations.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Match the following properties of telescopes (lettered) with their corresponding definitions (numbered). a. aperture b. resolution c. focal length d. chromatic aberration e. diffraction f. interferometer g. adaptive optics (1) two or more telescopes connected to act as one (2) distance from lens to focal plane (3) diameter (4) ability to distinguish close objects (5) computer-controlled atmospheric distortion correction (6) rainbow-making effect (7) smearing effect due to sharp edge

Robotic landers are more common than sample-return spacecraft because a. there is nothing to be learned by bringing back a bunch of rocks. b. carrying enough fuel to get back to Earth makes sample return expensive. c. the science instruments on landers are equal to any we have here on Earth. d. we are nervous about cross-contamination of life-forms.

Consider a CCD with a quantum efficiency of 80 percent and a photographic plate with a quantum efficiency of 1 percent. If an exposure time of 1 hour is required to photograph a celestial object with a given telescope, how much observing time would be saved by substituting a CCD for the photographic plate?

Which of the following are used by astronomers to understand the universe? (Select all that apply.) a. telescopes b. particle accelerators c. neutrino detectors d. supercomputers e. gravitational-wave detectors f. microscopes g. papers

Assume that the maximum aperture of the human eye, \(D\), is approximately \(8 \mathrm{mm}\) and the average wavelength of visible light, \(\lambda,\) is \(5.5 \times 10^{-4} \mathrm{mm}\) a. Calculate the diffraction limit of the human eye in visible light. b. How does the diffraction limit compare with the actual resolution of \(1-2\) arcmin \((60-120 \text { arcsec }) ?\) c. To what do you attribute the difference?

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