With a normal telescope, or any telescope for that matter, we cannot see artifacts on the moon. Even the Hubble telescope cannot see the flag that was left on the moon from Apollo 11. With understanding what optical resolution is and the lunar landing artifacts, then we can understand why we cannot see them on the moon with a normal telescope.
Telescopes get light from a large area and bring it into focus, but each focus depends on the light and the design (Optical). Resolution, in telescopes, “…determines how small a detail can be resolved in the image it forms” (Sacek). Or just to simply put it, “the sharpness of an image” (Optical). Would you like it if you’re looking out in the night sky, searching for a specific constellation or looking at the craters on the moon, and can’t seem to get a pleasant view of them because it’s so blurry? Therefore, the design of the telescope for resolution is important.
Optical resolution, in general, “describes the ability of an imaging system to resolve detail in the object that is being imaged” which include a lens and display components, each contributing to the system, the same as the environment in which the imaging is finished (optical resolution). Optical telescopes are ones that are designed to collect and record light from “cosmic sources” (Richmond).
With the moon being the number one spectacle on Earth, we want to know why we can’t see the Lunar Landing, or the artifacts, that were left on the Moon when the Apollo missions went up there. Most of us know that the Apollo 11 mission carried Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin Jr, and Michael Collins, the first two astronauts to land on the moon and set foot on it with the help of the Lunar Module. What we don’t know is why we can’t really see the flag that was placed in that area from our telescopes.
Unfortunately, we cannot. Not even the most powerful telescope ever made can see the objects. “The flag on the moon is [4 feet] long. You would require a telescope around 200 meters in diameter to see it. The largest telescope now is the Keck Telescope in Hawaii at 10 meters in diameter” for perspective (Can you see). It is the same concept with why we cannot see the lunar landing: because we need a bigger diameter telescope.
Not only that, but we need better resolution. So, we get a big enough telescope, that would mean we can see the objects (lunar landing sights and the flag), but we won’t be able to see them clear enough. The resolution needs to be better.
However, you can sometimes, in rare events, see the craters named after the first three astronauts clearly. But, only with a professional telescope in hand. “if you explore the Apollo landing sites with a small telescope, you won’t be able to see any of the objects left behind by the astronauts, as they are all too small to be resolved by even the largest telescopes. In fact, it’s only in the last two years [since 2011] that we’ve been able to photography the landing sites in detail from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter” (Gaherty).
It’s unfortunate that amateur space fans won’t be able to see anything from the landing sites; not even professionals can see them from their big telescopes. It’s important to know what kind they use, optical telescopes with a higher resolution for other space endeavors and maybe one day being able to see them from Earth.
References
Can you see objects left behind on the moon? (2015, May 04). Retrieved July 08, 2017, from https://www.telescopesplus.com/blogs/helpful-information/18965572-can-you-see-objects-left-behind-on-the-moon
Gaherty, G. (2011, November 03). How to Spot Apollo Moon Landing Sites in Telescopes. Retrieved July 08, 2017, from https://www.space.com/13485-moon-skywatching-craters-apollo-landing-sites.html
Optical Resolution. (n.d.). Retrieved July 08, 2017, from http://www.definitions.net/definition/optical%20resolution
Optical telescope – Dictionary Definition. (n.d.). Retrieved July 08, 2017, from https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/optical%20telescope
Richmond, M. (n.d.). Optical Telescopes. Retrieved July 08, 2017, from http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys301/lectures/optical_tel/optical_tel.html
Sacek, V. (2015, March). Telescope Resolution. Retrieved July 08, 2017, from http://www.telescope-optics.net/telescope_resolution.htm
