The terms in bold link to topics in the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC and CCEA A-level specifications, as well as the IB, Pre-U and SQA exam specifications.
Measuring the diameters of stars, which appear as point-like objects to the naked eye, is difficult. Light is diffracted as it passes through the circular aperture of a telescope, producing a disc-like image, but this is not related to the size of the star. By splitting the light from the star and producing an interference pattern, the intensity of the fringes gives information about the diameter of the star. The method was first used to estimate the diameter of the red giant star Betelgeuse.
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