/*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} Problem 31 Choose the best answer to each o... [FREE SOLUTION] | 91影视

91影视

Log out

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 6: Problem 31

Choose the best answer to each of the following. Explain your reasoning with one or more complete sentences. Which technology can allow a single ground-based telescope to achieve images as sharp as those from the Hubble Space Telescope? (a) adaptive optics (b) grazing incidence mirrors (c) interferometry.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Adaptive optics is the best technology for achieving sharp images as Hubble.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Options

We are given three technologies to choose from: adaptive optics, grazing incidence mirrors, and interferometry. Each has a specific role in enhancing image quality in telescopes.
02

Analyze Adaptive Optics

Adaptive optics is a technology used in ground-based telescopes to correct distortions in the atmosphere. It rapidly adjusts the mirror of the telescope to compensate for atmospheric blurring, thereby improving the sharpness of the images.
03

Examine Grazing Incidence Mirrors

Grazing incidence mirrors are typically used in X-ray telescopes to allow high-energy rays to be reflected at shallow angles. This technology is not primarily aimed at improving optical sharpness like the Hubble Space Telescope.
04

Investigate Interferometry

Interferometry is a technique that combines the signals from multiple telescopes to produce images with the resolution of a much larger telescope. While it can achieve high resolutions, it is more often used with radio telescopes than optical telescopes like the Hubble.
05

Choose the Best Answer

Considering the purpose and function of each technology, adaptive optics directly addresses atmospheric distortion to create clearer images similar in sharpness to those of the Hubble Space Telescope. Therefore, it is the best choice in this case.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with 91影视!

Key Concepts

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

Adaptive Optics
Adaptive optics is an advanced technology used to improve the quality of images captured by ground-based telescopes. The primary goal of adaptive optics is to correct for the distortions caused by Earth's atmosphere, which can significantly blur the images of celestial objects taken from the ground.

Here's how it works:
  • Adaptive optics systems use sensors to determine how the atmosphere is distorting light from stars or other celestial objects.
  • These distortions are then communicated to a deformable mirror within the telescope system.
  • The mirror changes shape in real time, usually at hundreds or thousands of times per second, to compensate for the atmospheric disruptions.
By constantly adjusting to the ever-changing atmosphere, adaptive optics allows ground-based telescopes to produce images with clarity and sharpness much like those from space-based telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope. This technology is essential because, without it, details would be lost, making it difficult to study the cosmos from Earth.
Interferometry
Interferometry is a powerful technique in astronomy that dramatically enhances the resolution of telescopes. It involves the combination of light waves (or other electromagnetic waves like radio waves) from multiple telescopes to mimic the performance of a single telescope with a much larger aperture.

The process of interferometry can be outlined in the following steps:
  • Signals or light waves collected by several separate telescopes are coherently combined.
  • The combination is done in a way that amplifies certain patterns in the light waves while minimizing others, allowing astronomers to see finer details.
  • Interferometry is particularly effective in radio astronomy, where signals from antennas that can be kilometers apart are integrated.
While optical interferometry is more challenging, it has been successfully used in famous observatories, such as the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. Its ability to match the resolution of a vast telescope makes it an invaluable method in the discovery and mapping of distant galaxies and star systems.
Grazing Incidence Mirrors
Grazing incidence mirrors are a unique type of mirror used specifically in X-ray telescopes. Unlike visible light, X-rays cannot be easily reflected by surfaces. Instead, they pass through materials or are absorbed. Grazing incidence mirrors address this challenge by focusing high-energy X-rays through gentle reflections at very shallow angles.

This technique works as follows:
  • X-rays encounter the mirror surface at a very shallow angle of incidence, close to parallel.
  • At these low angles, X-rays are reflected rather than absorbed, allowing them to be directed and focused onto an X-ray detector.
  • This approach is pivotal for observing the high-energy universe, where phenomena such as black holes and supernovae emit X-rays.
While grazing incidence mirrors do not primarily enhance image sharpness for visible light telescopes, they are a cornerstone in the field of X-ray astronomy, enabling the study of some of the most energetic and least understood phenomena in the universe.

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is clearly true) or does not make sense (or is clearly false). Explain clearly; not all of these have definitive answers, so your explanation is more important than your chosen answer. New technologies will soon allow astronomers to use X-ray telescopes on Earth's surface.

Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is clearly true) or does not make sense (or is clearly false). Explain clearly; not all of these have definitive answers, so your explanation is more important than your chosen answer. I have a reflecting telescope in which the secondary mirror is bigger than the primary mirror.

Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is clearly true) or does not make sense (or is clearly false). Explain clearly; not all of these have definitive answers, so your explanation is more important than your chosen answer. I wanted to see faint details in the Andromeda Galaxy, so photographed it with a very short exposure time.

Project: Twinkling Stars. Using a star chart, identify a few bright stars that should be visible in the early evening. On a clear night, observe each of these stars for a few minutes. Note the date and time, and for each star record the following information: approximate altitude and direction in your sky, brightness compared to other stars, color, and how much the star twinkles compared to other stars. Study your record. Can you draw any conclusions about how brightness and position in your sky affect twinkling? Explain.

Choose the best answer to each of the following. Explain your reasoning with one or more complete sentences. Interferometry uses two or more telescopes to achieve (a) a light-collecting area equivalent to that of a much larger telescope. (b) an angular resolution equivalent to that of a much larger telescope. (c) both the light-collecting area and the angular resolution of a much larger telescope.
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

Mechanics and Materials

Read Explanation

Rotational Dynamics

Read Explanation

Medical Physics

Read Explanation

Fluids

Read Explanation

Further Mechanics and Thermal Physics

Read Explanation

Electricity and Magnetism

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.