Despite ruining sharpness, what capability of a large ground mirror is unaffected by atmospheric distortion?
Answer
Collecting more light to see fainter objects.
The physical size of the mirror primarily determines its light-gathering power, allowing it to observe fainter targets, even if the atmospheric blur ruins the sharpness of the image.
Related Questions
What is the fundamental challenge facing ground-based telescopes?What causes the phenomenon known as 'astronomical seeing'?How much can atmospheric seeing typically degrade the practical resolution of a massive ground telescope?Despite ruining sharpness, what capability of a large ground mirror is unaffected by atmospheric distortion?Which type of high-energy radiation emitted by celestial objects is completely absorbed by the atmosphere, necessitating space observation?Why are ground observatories often built in extremely dry regions like deserts?Besides atmospheric effects, what ground-based interference drastically reduces the contrast of faint astronomical sources?What practical constraint currently prevents launching primary mirrors 20-meters in size into orbit?What key long-term advantage do ground-based telescopes possess over space telescopes positioned at locations like L2?What specific component is used in an Adaptive Optics system to reverse atmospheric light distortion in real-time?