plumiAdvantages of large diameter telescopes: AQA A‑Level Physics questions
AQA A-Level Physics past-paper questions on 3.9.1.4 Advantages of large diameter telescopes, 2008–2025, with mark schemes and examiner’s reports where available.
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All 39 questions on Advantages of large diameter telescopes, as a list
- June 2025, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q02.2 (6 marks): An astronomer has two telescopes A and B. The astronomer uses each telescope to make observations of Mars when Mars is 0.55 AU from the Earth. Table 1 gives inf
- June 2025, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q02.3 (2 marks): One advantage of using a CCD with a telescope is that the data can be stored and processed on a computer. Explain two other advantages of using a CCD rather tha
- June 2024, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q01.4 (4 marks): Explain two other effects that the addition of the cap has on the image of Jupiter. [4 marks] 1 2
- June 2023, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q02.4 (2 marks): V1031 is just visible to the naked eye of an astronomer when her pupil diameter is 7 mm. Suggest whether she can observe WASP-82 using a telescope with an objec
- June 2023, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q02.5 (3 marks): CCDs are often connected to telescopes. Explain two reasons why this improves the ability of astronomers to observe dim stars. [3 marks] 1 2
- June 2023, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q03.2 (4 marks): In 2019, astronomers linked several radio telescopes to produce a single telescope called the EHT. The resolution of the EHT is the same as the resolution that
- June 2022, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q01.4 (3 marks): The James Lick telescope can be used to identify binary stars. Two techniques are available using this telescope: • using a processed image from a CCD, and • di
- November 2021, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q05.1 (2 marks): Explain what is meant by the Rayleigh criterion. [2 marks]
- November 2021, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q05.2 (3 marks): A telescope uses wavelengths in the range 90 nm to 120 nm. Explain why this telescope must be located in space. Go on to discuss one advantage that this telesco
- November 2021, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q05.3 (3 marks): Table 1 shows information about two telescopes. Table 1 Telescope Diameter / m Dish shape Arecibo 305 spherical Lovell 76 parabolic Each telescope detects radio
- November 2020, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q01.2 (3 marks): A spacecraft passes Pluto at a distance of 12 500 km. The telescope on board has an aperture of diameter 0.21 m and operates at a wavelength of 450 nm. Discuss
- November 2020, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q01.3 (2 marks): The Hubble telescope has an aperture of diameter 2.4 m. Compare the collecting power of the Hubble telescope with the telescope on the spacecraft in Question 01
- June 2018, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q01.1 (2 marks): Calculate the wavelength of light for which the Griffith telescope has a minimum angular resolution of 1.8 × 10−6 rad [2 marks] wavelength = m
- June 2018, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q01.3 (3 marks): The asteroid Apophis has a diameter of 325 m It has been calculated that, in 2029, its distance of closest approach to the Earth’s surface will be 3.0 × 104 km
- June 2017, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q02.1 (3 marks): The telescopes are used to view the same object. Suggest which telescope in Table 1 produces the brighter image. Support your answer with a suitable calculation
- June 2017, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q02.2 (2 marks): The minimum angular resolution of a telescope can be determined using the Rayleigh criterion. Explain what is meant by the Rayleigh criterion. [2 marks
- June 2017, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q02.3 (2 marks): Discuss which of the two telescopes in Table 1 would be better at resolving the images of two objects that are close together. [2 marks
- Specimen, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q01.2 (6 marks): The concave mirrors used in some reflecting telescopes can suffer from spherical aberration. 0 1 The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) and the Gran Teles
- Specimen, Paper 3 Astrophysics, Q01.3 (2 marks): The concave mirrors used in some reflecting telescopes can suffer from spherical aberration. 0 1 The Charge Coupled Device (CCD) is an important part of the det
- June 2016, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q3(a) (2 marks): Describe the structure of the part of the CCD where the image is formed. [2 marks] _____________________________________________________________________________
- June 2016, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q3(b) (3 marks): Explain how a CCD builds up a charge pattern that depends on the image formed on it. [3 marks] _________________________________________________________________
- June 2015, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q1(a)(ii) (2 marks): Show that when Vesta is at a distance of 1.73 × 1011 m from Earth, the angle subtended by Vesta to an observer on Earth is about 3 × 10–6 radian. [2 marks]
- June 2015, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q1(b)(ii) (2 marks): The IRTF includes a camera capable of detecting infrared radiation with wavelengths in the range 1.0 µm to 5.0 µm. The smallest angle the telescope can resolve
- June 2015, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q1(c) (2 marks): Discuss the level of detail the IRTF would be able to detect on the surface of Vesta, when Vesta is 1.73 × 1011 m from Earth. [2 marks]
- June 2014, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q1(b)(ii) (2 marks): Early telescopes had very small diameter objective lenses. State two advantages of using an astronomical telescope that has a large diameter objective lens when
- June 2013, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q2(a)(i) (2 marks): Sketch, on the axes, the variation in intensity of the diffraction pattern produced when light from a point object passes through a circular aperture. (2 marks)
- June 2013, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q2(a)(ii) (2 marks): The Rayleigh criterion is used to determine the smallest angular separation between two point objects which can be resolved by a telescope. With reference to th
- June 2013, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q2(c)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the minimum angular separation which could be resolved by a radio telescope of diameter 5000km detecting waves of frequency 230GHz. angular separation
- June 2013, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q2(c)(ii) (2 marks): The centre of the Milky Way galaxy is 25 000 light years from the Earth. Show that the limit of the resolution of the telescope is approximately five times the
- June 2013, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q3 (6 marks): Many astronomical observations rely on a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) to obtain an image. Describe the structure and operation of the CCD and discuss the advanta
- June 2012, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q2(a) (1 mark): The charge coupled device (CCD) attached to TRAPPIST has a quantum efficiency of 96% for light of wavelength 750nm. Explain what is meant by the quantum efficie
- June 2012, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q2(b)(i) (1 mark): The optical arrangement of the telescope includes an objective mirror of diameter 0.60m. Calculate the minimum angular separation of two objects which can be re
- June 2012, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q2(b)(ii) (3 marks): One of the nearest exoplanets orbits the star Epsilon Eridani, which is 10.5 light years from Earth. The exoplanet has an elliptical orbit, whose orbital radius
- June 2012, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q2(b)(iii) (1 mark): TRAPPIST detects the presence of exoplanets by measuring the reduction in light intensity that occurs as the planet passes in front of the star. Explain why it
- June 2011, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q1(b)(ii) (2 marks): The first telescope constructed to this design had a primary mirror of diameter 0.15m. Calculate the minimum angular separation which could be resolved by this
- June 2011, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q1(b)(iii) (2 marks): The astronomer Edmund Halley claimed to have used this telescope to observe the Cassini division, a dark band in the rings of Saturn. Calculate the angle subten
- June 2010, PHYA5 Astrophysics (old spec), Q3(c) (3 marks): Chandra makes use of a charge coupled device (CCD) to detect the X-ray photons. Describe the processes involved in the detection of photons by a CCD. (3 marks)
- June 2008, PHA5W (2008 spec), Q3(a) (3 marks): 3 (a) Explain what is meant by the terms Rayleigh criterion and Airy disc. You may be awarded additional marks to those shown in brackets for the in your answer
- June 2008, PHA5W (2008 spec), Q3(b) (4 marks): 3 (b) The Very Large Telescope (VLT) in the Atacama Desert in Chile is a combination of four Cassegrain telescopes each of diameter 8.2 m. It is used to detect
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