Synthetic Apertures to Increase Resolution

[tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)]

> 
> Could the same effect (as a segmented mirror) be achieved by taking multiple
> pictures (from the same mirror) and processing them together? E.g. does
> synthetic aperture radar actually produce higher resolution than achievable
> from a single "snapshot"? If so, then this might work (at least for slow-moving
> targets :-)...

> dat@ebt.com (David Taffs)

Yes, but the positional accuracy required (on the order of the
wavelength) would be prohibitive to achieve. (Such things may be
possible for the NRO's DSP (more acronym overloading: DSP stands for
Defense Support Program) satellites to implement. I haven't heard any
speculations that this is actually being done.)

Synthetic Aperture Radar is feasible becuase the wavelengths are so
much larger.

The new Keck Telescope will eventually use a second telescope, now
under construction, located some distance away, for very long baseline
interferometry...I have no idea if it can be made to work as an actual
synthetic aperture. Jay Freeman man know.

--Tim May


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