As I peruse the night sky from the indulgent comfort of my newly-installed Jacuzzi, I notice that the stars, particularly the brightest, appear to have an apparent diameter. Hard to say, but the brightest observed seems to have an apparent diameter of, say, 1/100 of the Moon, there or thereabouts.
Using UY Scuti as an example (albeit probably not one of the stars observed, but the largest known star), however, we can calculate the apparent diameter as approximately 1/6,600 of the resolving power of the best human eye. In other words, it's a 'dot', or a point source.
Does this mean, then, that the image is detected by only one photosensor within the eye's retina, which is processed by the brain and perceived as larger than it actually is?
Using UY Scuti as an example (albeit probably not one of the stars observed, but the largest known star), however, we can calculate the apparent diameter as approximately 1/6,600 of the resolving power of the best human eye. In other words, it's a 'dot', or a point source.
Does this mean, then, that the image is detected by only one photosensor within the eye's retina, which is processed by the brain and perceived as larger than it actually is?
via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/1VZzqB6
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