A spacecraft passes Asteroid Ceres at a distance of 4800 km. The telescope on board has an aperture of diameter 0.15 m and operates at a wavelength of 550 nm550\text{ nm}550 nm.
Discuss whether this telescope is suitable for resolving a crater with a diameter of approximately 1.2 km on the surface of Ceres.
The William Herschel Telescope (WHT) has an aperture of diameter 4.2 m. Compare the collecting power of the WHT with the telescope on board the spacecraft.
Discuss why a reflecting telescope, such as a Cassegrain reflector, is preferred over a refracting telescope for use on this spacecraft.
18 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Physics Telescopes (A-level only), covering Astronomical telescope consisting of two converging lenses (A-level only), Reflecting telescopes (A-level only), Single dish radio telescopes, I-R, U-V and X-ray telescopes (A-level only), and Advantages of large diameter telescopes (A-level only). Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.