The physics department at a university operates two optical telescopes mounted on the same platform to allow simultaneous observations of the same celestial coordinates. The specifications of these telescopes are summarised in Table 1.
| Telescope | Optical Design | Objective Diameter / mm |
|---|---|---|
| A | Refractor | 80 |
| B | Reflector | 640 |
The telescopes are used to observe a faint binary star system. Determine which telescope produces the brighter image of the system, and calculate how many times brighter this image is compared to the one produced by the other telescope.
The Rayleigh criterion is used to define the limit of angular resolution of optical telescopes. Explain what is meant by the Rayleigh criterion.
Deduce and explain which of the two telescopes in Table 1 is better suited to resolve the individual stars in the binary system.
