Chapter 36, Problem 36.43E

Hubble Versus Arecibo. The Hubble Space Telescope has an aperture of 2.4 m and focuses visible light (380-750 nm). The Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico is 305 in (1000 ft) in diameter (it is built in a mountain valley) and focuses radio waves of wavelength 75 cm. (a) Under optimal viewing conditions, what is the smallest crater that each of these telescopes could resolve on our moon? (b) If the Hubble Space Telescope were to be converted to surveillance use, what is the highest orbit above the surface of the earth it could have and still be able to resolve the license plate (not the letters, just the plate) of a car on the ground? Assume optimal viewing conditions, so that the resolution is diffraction limited.