Astronauts placed a mirror on the surface of the Moon to be used for optical measurements of the precise distance to the moon. Visible light is sent from the Earth and is reflected back from the moon. If the mirror has a diameter of 30 cm, roughly how large is the beam of reflected light that reaches Earth? The distance from the Earth to the Moon is 3.8×108 meters. You can assume the light from Earth is a plane wave when it strikes the mirror.
Astronauts placed a mirror on the surface of the Moon to be used for optical measurements of the precise distance to the moon. Visible light is sent from the Earth and is reflected back from the moon. If the mirror has a diameter of 30 cm, roughly how large is the beam of reflected light that reaches Earth? The distance from the Earth to the Moon is 3.8×108 meters. You can assume the light from Earth is a plane wave when it strikes the mirror.
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Transcribed Image Text:Astronauts placed a mirror on the surface of the Moon to be used for optical measurements of the precise distance to the moon. Visible light is sent from
the Earth and is reflected back from the moon. If the mirror has a diameter of 30 cm, roughly how large is the beam of reflected light that reaches Earth?
The distance from the Earth to the Moon is 3.8×108
meters. You can assume the light from Earth is a plane wave when it strikes the mirror.
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