Larger telescopes provide clearer images primarily due to two main factors: light-gathering ability and resolution.
- Light-Gathering Ability: A larger telescope has a bigger aperture (the primary light-collecting area), which allows it to collect more light. This means it can detect fainter objects, and since it gathers more light, it can produce brighter and clearer images. This is especially important when observing distant stars, galaxies, or other faint astronomical objects.
- Resolution: The resolution of a telescope is determined by the size of its aperture. A larger aperture allows for finer detail to be resolved, meaning it can distinguish objects that are closer together. This is because the larger the telescope, the smaller the diffraction limit, which is the amount of blurriness caused by the wave nature of light. Smaller telescopes with smaller apertures can’t resolve as much detail, especially for objects far away.