A Telescope the Size of Earth

Interferometry

An interactive lesson with 6 steps, about 5 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Interferometry combines separate telescopes into one virtual aperture.
• Resolution depends on the baseline between dishes.
• The Earth-sized Event Horizon Telescope imaged a black hole’s shadow.

Steps

1. Linking dishes
2. The Event Horizon Telescope
3. Filling in the dish
4. A 10 km baseline
5. An Earth-sized dish
6. Beyond Earth