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resolving power
resolving power The finest detail an optical instrument will show; also known as resolution. For a telescope it is the smallest separation between two objects which allows them just to be distinguished as separate. However, the criterion for this depends on the method used to observe the objects and on their nature. In practice, the test object is taken to be a double star whose components are equally bright. One criterion is when the centre of the Airy disk of one star coincides with the adjacent dark space before the first diffraction ring. This is the resolution given by diffraction-limited optics. In practice, observers can separate double stars closer than this, leading to the criterion known as the Dawes limit. For a spectroscope, the resolving power is its ability to discriminate between two adjacent bright spectral lines.
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"resolving power." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "resolving power." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-resolvingpower.html "resolving power." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-resolvingpower.html |
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resolving power
resolving power A measure of the ability of an optical instrument to form separable images of close objects or to separate close wavelengths of radiation. The resolving power of a microscope is usually taken as the minimum distance between two points that can be separated; the smaller the resolving power, the better the resolution.
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"resolving power." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "resolving power." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-resolvingpower.html "resolving power." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-resolvingpower.html |
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resolving power
resolving power see telescope . |
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Cite this article
"resolving power." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "resolving power." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-resolvin.html "resolving power." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-resolvin.html |
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