Constants ? Part A Two stars 19 light-years away are barely resolved by a 66 cm

Question

Constants ? Part A Two stars 19 light-years away are barely resolved by a 66 cm (mirror diameter) telescope. 1 ly 9.461 x 1015 m. How far apart are the stars? Assume ? 550 nm and that the resolution is limited by diffraction. Express your answer to two significant figures and include the appropriate units d1.9.101 Im SubmitPrey vious Ans Request Answer X Incorrect; Try Again; 3 attempts remaining Not quite. Check through your calculations; you may have made a rounding error or used the wrong number of significant figures.

Explanation / Answer

Given,

d = 19 ly ; D = 66 cm

a)lambda = 550 nm

We know that

theta = 1.22 (lambda)/d

theta = 1.22 x 550 x 10^-9/0.66 = 1.02 x 10^-6 rad

d' = d(theta)

d' = 19 x 9.461 x 10^15 x 1.016 x 10^-6 = 1.83 x 10^11 m

Hence, d' = 1.83 x 10^11 m

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