Chapter 36, Problem 72E

(a)

To determine

The greatest distance at which the Planet Imager would be able to observe $250\text{km}$ across on a planet in light-years.

(b)

To determine

The size of the smallest details a telescope of diameter $1.0\text{m}$ can resolve at the distance of the nearest star Proxima Centauri which is $4.22\text{ ly}$ distant and compare it to the diameter of the earth and to the average distance from the earth to the sun and whether a single telescope like this will be able to find a planet like earth in an earth-like orbit around any other star.

(c)

To determine

The size of the smallest details the Planet Imager could hope to resolve on the planet in $70$ Virginis and how is it comparable to the diameter of the planet.