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Practically, yes, telescopes are limited by the diffraction limit. This depends on ratio of the wavelength of the light being captured to the size of the optic
by prewett 10y ago
Practically, yes, telescopes are limited by the diffraction limit. This depends on ratio of the wavelength of the light being captured to the size of the optics. In theory one could make larger and larger perfect lenses/mirrors, but practically there is a limit somewhere. More information at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_resolution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_resolution
I suppose at some point quantum effects will take over, but I'm guessing the manufacturing requirements for perfect optics will be the limited factor long before then.
- josePhoenix 10y agoFor large-aperture ground-based telescopes operating in the visible spectrum, the seeing limit is the dominant effect. Atmospheric turbulence is a bigger factor than the precision of your optics, in other words. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_seeing https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_seeing (Space telescopes are diffraction-limited but have other constraints, like mass budget and cost, that keep them from being as large as ground based facilities.)