Statement
12.2.14. Estimate the minimum size of an object on the Earth’s surface that can be photographed from a satellite flying at an altitude of
Solution
When light from an object passes through the entrance aperture of the camera, a diffraction pattern, not a point, is formed on the sensor.
We are not photographing a single isolated point (it can always be seen as a small spot, even if it is blurred).
We need to distinguish two close details (for example, two craters or two closely spaced objects).
If two objects are too close, their diffraction spots overlap, and we see one blurred spot instead of two.
Two point sources are considered resolved if the central maximum of one source falls exactly on the first minimum of the diffraction pattern of the other. The same condition is necessary to see the edges of our object separately. Therefore, the object must be seen from the shooting point at an angle greater than some
We take the distance from the Earth to the Moon as
We also assume that we managed to buy a camera with a slit‑shaped lens: this will greatly simplify the mathematics. Since we are only required to make an estimate, this is acceptable. Let the slit width
After these questionable simplifications, we obtain the system described in problem 12.2.4, from which we can directly take the formula for
Then the size of an object located at a distance
And the calculations:
Savchenko's answer is slightly different – the estimate strongly depends on the chosen values (especially the distance to Mars, which varies considerably during the year); in order of magnitude, everything agrees more or less. The framed text is the author's answer.