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duckfat01 t1_iqsj0d1 wrote

Reply to comment by PlaidBastard in If objects in space are far away, does light get scattered enough that it would look “low resolution” by the time it reaches us? by hau2mk7pkmxmh3u

The smallest size that can be resolved by an optical system is given by the size of the Airy disc. This is aa property of the system, and is one measure of the quality of the system. Mirror systems will have smaller Airy discs than lens systems because they have no chromatic aberration, and large diameter optics generally have smaller Airy discs than small optics, for example.

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PlaidBastard t1_iqsk9u1 wrote

Oh, hey, the Airy Disk! I remember that from an undergrad physics class. Wikipedia reminds me that I'd know that ~1.22 factor for 'infinite' focus anywhere...

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