Why can’t we invent a telescope that zooms infinitely at perfect resolution to look at distant planets?
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There are fundamental limits imposed by the laws of physics. Light has a property called diffraction, which means that when it passes through an aperture (like a telescope’s lens or mirror), it spreads out, limiting the ability to focus on extremely distant objects with perfect clarity.
Building larger telescopes can capture more light and provide better resolution, but there are practical limitations. Extremely large telescopes become prohibitively expensive and difficult to construct and maintain. The largest optical telescopes on Earth are already enormous, and building larger ones presents significant engineering challenges.
Earth’s atmosphere introduces distortions and turbulence that can blur the images obtained by telescopes. This is why many advanced telescopes are placed in space (like the Hubble Space Telescope) to avoid these atmospheric effects. Even in space, there are still some limitations.
Planets in our solar system are relatively close compared to stars in other galaxies. However, when we look at planets in distant solar systems (exoplanets), they are incredibly far away. Even with the best telescopes, the resolution might not be sufficient to see fine details on these distant planets.
No matter how advanced a telescope is, there’s a finite limit to the level of detail it can capture. This is due to factors like the size of the telescope’s primary mirror or lens, the wavelength of light being observed, and the inherent limits of optics.
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