Why Can’t We See The Flags Dropped On The Moon With A Telescope?

NASA’s 1969 Apollo with his duty Neil Armstrongbecame the first man to set foot on the moon. People who have been producing conspiracy theories since then have argued that it is fake and fictionalized as if it were a movie. They also used different arguments(!) while doing this.

While presenting their own arguments, these people question what we have.if this mission has been done, why can’t we see its remains today, why? the flags are still there not?It comes up with questions like “. Let’s shed some light on this issue together.

First of all, the flags and traces of the landing are still there.

“How do we know this?Of course, there will be those who wonder. The source of our information here is the Moon’s orbiter, which transmits the details of the landforms to the Earth. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft.

The vehicle in question captured the shadow of the flag planted on the Moon in recent years and the traces left by astronauts during the Apollo mission.

Apollo 17 landing site / LRO

But when we say that, don’t let the flag photos come to life in your mind. For of LRO In the images he captured, only the shadow of the flag stands out. It’s just in pixels.

So why can’t we see the flag itself (or what’s left of it anymore)?

The answer is simple; because the flag is both small and far away. Also, as we know, this flag not knocked down. Instead, it was planted on the Moon’s surface. This means that whether we look with LRO or with our own telescopes, we can see ourselves. hard it means it is

That’s why the flag in question is in the above images. shadow by being noticed.

Okay, don’t we have such a big telescope? From here we see other planets, even galaxies. The moon is from here and there

Keck Observatory

Unfortunately, that’s not how things work. When we reach the space level, the Moon looks like it’s here and there, as we said. But this is between us and the moon 350 to 400 thousand kilometers Doesn’t change the fact that it’s far.

As if this distance was not enough, it was placed vertically on it. 125 cm If you want to see a tall flag, you need more than even Hubble.

Even the James Webb Telescope does not even come close to the dimensions required for this job.

Gran Telescopio Canarias

The largest telescope currently on Earth, with a main mirror diameter of 10.4 meters Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). In Hubble, this diameter drops to 2.4 meters.

James Webb Telescope

Opening so many new doors for us James Webb Its telescope, on the other hand, has a main mirror diameter of 6.5 meters.

But in order for us to see, or rather distinguish, the flag in question, we need a telescope with a mirror with a diameter of 200 meters.

8.2 meter telescope mirror

Not only that. This telescope flags will only appear as one pixel, even if we increase it to that size. In order to increase the resolution (and therefore the size), it will be necessary to equip this telescope with equipment for this. But if you want to see the flags on the Moon, this is roughly the hardware you need.

Those who are curious, to math can be accessed here. Accounts only to see the flag by rolling Let me tell you it’s done. So what do you do with something you know and roughly see is already there? to see the flag Would you go to that much expense and effort?

So how do we see galaxies?

What makes this possible for galaxies is that, although far away, colossal let’s say they are in size. In addition shiny They also contribute to their being seen by telescopes.

The moon is next to these gigantic bright structures. small and dark staying.

Do not forget to share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section.