Resolution of an interferometer Introduction to Radio Astronomy and Interferometry Paragraph 4 For more information on each of the sentences below, click on the text of the sentence. For more information on all the sentences click here.
Radio astronomy uses radio waves to study regions of space.
Single-dish radio telescopes produce blurry images. Interferometry is a technique used to overcome the blurring and produce sharper radio images. The spacing between the radio telescope dishes in an interferometer determines the size of the objects that can be resolved by the interferometer. The ratio above is called the resolution of the telescope. As the separation between the dishes increases, the angular size of source that the telescope can detect decreases.