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Old 09-August-2005, 12:17 PM
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Kemal Kemal is offline
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Default VLT: Bad David Darling?
On British Astronomer David Darling's web site he writes this about the Very Large Telescope(VLT):

Quote:
If there were cars on the Moon, the Very Large Telescope would be able to read their number plates.
Taken from this site: http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/V/VLT.html

That sounds like a serious exaggeration to me. What say ya'll?
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Old 09-August-2005, 12:36 PM
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Well he's either lying or exaggerating. 'taint gonna happen. Now my scope will do that but ya know, it's all secret and stuff.
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Old 09-August-2005, 12:40 PM
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As JayUtah explained on the apollohoax forum:
Quote:
Often scientists involved with extreme engineering problems do make statements like this in order to inspire awe and appreciation, and not with the intent that they be taken as literally true.

A 200 meter aperture at a wavelength of 500 nanometers gives an angular resolution of 0.00000000305 radian, or 0.000629 arcsecond. At lunar distance that's just under four feet. So no, it does not seem possible that the array can read license plates on the moon.
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Old 09-August-2005, 03:24 PM
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Maybe the lunarians use use really big number plates on their moon cars, and mount them on the roof for easier viewing from Earth.
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