Calculate the diffraction limit (Rayleigh criterion) of an optical system.
Optical Parameters
Wavelength (λ)
Aperture Diameter (D)
Resolution Limits
Enter parameters to calculate
Quick Reference
θAngular Resolution (rad)
λWavelength of Light
DAperture Diameter
1.22Constant for circular apertures
Overview
Angular resolution describes the ability of an imaging system to distinguish two adjacent objects. The Rayleigh criterion defines the limit where two point sources can just be resolved, caused by the diffraction of light through the aperture.
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Pro Tips
Smaller wavelengths (like blue/violet) provide better resolution than longer ones (like red/infrared).
Larger apertures (like big telescopes) are primarily built to improve resolution, not just collect more light.
The diffraction limit is the theoretical best resolution; atmospheric turbulence often limits ground-based telescopes further.
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Fun Facts
"The James Webb Space Telescope can see the heat signature of a bumblebee at the distance of the Moon."
"Eagle eyes have a much larger pupil and higher density of receptors than humans, giving them about 4-8 times better resolution."
"Blu-ray discs use a blue laser (shorter wavelength) to resolve smaller pits on the disc compared to DVDs (red laser), allowing for more data storage."
