Naked Science Forum

General Discussion & Feedback => Just Chat! => Topic started by: bizerl on 12/04/2013 02:08:48

Title: Star Wars. LIVE!
Post by: bizerl on 12/04/2013 02:08:48

If the events of Star Wars happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, does that mean if we had a good enough telescope, that we could watch it be played out before our very eyes?

Title: Re: Star Wars. LIVE!
Post by: imatfaal on 12/04/2013 15:59:30

Well yes, we see distant objects delayed by finite speed of light and thus substantial travel time - but you have to remember the limit of resolution.  At visible wavelength and in the nearest galaxy you would need a light gathering surface of 10km diameter just to be able to resolve two objects at 96 million miles apart!  To get resolution of a millimetre you would need a telescope far bigger than the solar system. 

Title: Re: Star Wars. LIVE!
Post by: bizerl on 13/04/2013 08:13:25

so we'd need some sort of giant, interstellar moon-sized space station?...

Title: Re: Star Wars. LIVE!
Post by: CliffordK on 16/04/2013 07:45:40

Can you increase the resolution by using multiple small telescopes, each widely spaced apart?  For example scattering a million large optical telescopes around the Oort cloud?

Title: Re: Star Wars. LIVE!
Post by: Mazurka on 18/04/2013 08:47:28

Yes - an astronomical interferometer.

Following up Bizerl's suggestion of a moon sized space station - was its destruction an inside job?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dvv-Yib1Xg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dvv-Yib1Xg)