Reid's ten-telescope solution has a diameter of the size of which object?

Reid's ten-telescope solution has a diameter of the size of which object?

• A. The size of the Moon
• B. The size of the Earth
• C. The distance to the Sun
• D. The orbit of Mars

Answer: (B)

In interferometry, how far apart your telescopes are sets how finely you can resolve details—the effective aperture is basically the longest baseline between telescopes. A ten-telescope setup spread around the globe would have a maximum separation that’s about the diameter of the Earth. So the array’s effective diameter is roughly Earth-sized. That’s why the object whose diameter matches the interferometer’s diameter is the Earth, not the Moon, the distance to the Sun, or the orbit of Mars.

In interferometry, how far apart your telescopes are sets how finely you can resolve details—the effective aperture is basically the longest baseline between telescopes. A ten-telescope setup spread around the globe would have a maximum separation that’s about the diameter of the Earth. So the array’s effective diameter is roughly Earth-sized. That’s why the object whose diameter matches the interferometer’s diameter is the Earth, not the Moon, the distance to the Sun, or the orbit of Mars.