Kalahari bushmen are said to be able to see the four brightest moons of Jupiter

Question

Kalahari bushmen are said to be able to see the four brightest moons of Jupiter with the naked eye. According to Rayleigh's criterion, what must be the minimum separation between two small light sources placed at the distance of Jupiter if they are to be resolved by the human eye? Compare this with the separations between these four moons of Jupiter. Does the limit on the resolving power of the human eye prevent you from seeing the moons? The average distance to Jupiter is 6.3 times 105 km; the separations between the moons are typically 4.0 times l05 km. Assume that the diameter of the pupil of the eye is 7.0 mm and that the wavelength of the light is 550 nm.

Explanation / Answer

Rayleigh criterion is sin=1.22/D

we can use the arc length equation s=L

so we have sin(s/L)=1.22/D

so s= L arcsin(1.22/D)

=6.3E8 *arcsin(1.22*550E-9/7E-3)=60390=6.04E4 km

so the eye prevents you from seeing the moons

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse K
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.