Why can’t we attach a 100X microscope to the eye piece of a 100X telescope and get a 10000X zoom?
It's really hard to answer this in an ELI5 manner, there's a lot of complex optical physics in play. What is important in optical systems, particularly when you are talking about 'zoom' is resolution. By resolution, I don't mean how many pixels are on your screen, or how many megapixels the camer…
The Short Answer
It's really hard to answer this in an ELI5 manner, there's a lot of complex optical physics in play. What is important in optical systems, particularly when you are talking about 'zoom' is resolution. By resolution, I don't mean how many pixels are on your screen, or how many megapixels the camera has. It is, the smallest details which can be resolved. The classic example used to illustrate resolution is car headlights. When the car is moving towards you from a great distance, at what point do you stop seeing a single point of light, and start seeing two distinct points of light? Without getting into the complexities, the resolution of an optical system is determined based on the size of your objective. This is why telescopes used to look at deep space objects are so large. In your example, while you may very well be able to obtain 10000x zoom, you will have extremely poor resolution so will not actually be able to see anything at all.
Analysis
Key Concepts: Resolution, optical, example
This explanation focuses on resolution, optical, example and spans 168 words across 9 sentences. At 147% above the average Space & Astronomy explanation (68 words), this is one of the more thorough answers in this category, reflecting the complexity of the underlying question.
What This Answer Covers
The explanation opens with: “It's really hard to answer this in an ELI5 manner, there's a lot of complex optical physics in play.” It then elaboratesultimately building toward a complete picture across 9 connected points.
How This Compares in Space & Astronomy
Ranked #11 of 500 Space & Astronomy questions by answer depth (top 3%). This places it in the comprehensive tier — the top quarter of most thoroughly answered questions. Questions at this depth typically involve multi-faceted topics requiring nuanced explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a simple explanation for why we attach a 100x microscope to the eye piece of a 100x telescope and get a 10000x zoom?
It's really hard to answer this in an ELI5 manner, there's a lot of complex optical physics in play. What is important in optical systems, particularly when you are talking about 'zoom' is resolution. By resolution, I don't mean how many pixels are…
How detailed is this explanation compared to similar Space & Astronomy questions?
This is one of the most thorough answer at 168 words, ranked #11 of 500 Space & Astronomy questions by depth. The key concepts covered are resolution, optical, example.
What approach does this answer take to explain we attach a 100x microscope to the eye piece of a 100x teles?
The explanation uses concrete examples across 168 words. It is categorized under Space & Astronomy and addresses the question through 1 analytical lens.