Lecture

Astronaut's Vision: Angular Resolution and House Size Calculation

Description

This lecture addresses the ability of an astronaut in orbit around Earth to distinguish houses on the surface 250 km below, by calculating the minimum angular size a human eye can perceive and the angular size of a house at that distance. Using the Rayleigh criterion, the lecture explains the resolution power of optical systems and applies it to determine that a human can resolve objects of about 10^-4 radians, which matches the angular size of a house at that distance.

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