Question

Some telescopes are dual-purpose: they detect visible light and infra-red. Were the telescope in the question above capable of this, would it have higher resolution in infra-red or lower (compared to visible light)?

Answer 1

The resolution of a dual-purpose telescope that detects both visible light and infrared radiation is generally lower in infrared compared to visible light.

Step-by-step explanation:

Telescopes that are capable of detecting both visible light and infrared radiation are considered to be dual-purpose telescopes. When comparing the resolution of these telescopes in the two wavelengths, the resolution is generally lower in infrared compared to visible light.

One factor that affects the resolution of a telescope is the size of its aperture. Larger apertures produce sharper images. However, the resolution of visible-light and infrared telescopes on Earth's surface is degraded by the turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere, which affects both wavelengths. Even though new technologies have been developed to improve the performance of infrared telescopes, the atmospheric turbulence still limits their resolution.