What is the advantage of a binocular telescope (such as the LBT)?

[LBT]

I"m wondering what is the advantage of a binocular as opposed to a single mirror telescope. I know that the advantage is supposed to be in terms of angular resolution, but I don't understand what that means and how to use this.

If I look at the Wikipedia page on Astronomical interferometer, I can understand how a parabolic arrangement can be useful: it's basically just a big telescope with "holes" in it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Interf_diagram.gif"

Even in this example, I'm not sure I understand how exactly one could synthesize a single image from such an array using merely computations. Is this even possible or do you need to combine the image optically?

The Wikipedia image seems to be about the telescopes all focusing on a single point and the beams being combined optically. I looked at the design of a Michelson interferometer and that sort of makes sense.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Interferometer.svg" Though I'm not sure I understand exactly how one would combine the light beams to produce the right interference.


Now, the second part of my question is about a telescope like the LBT where the mirrors don't seem to be arranged in a parabolic configuration, and that's even more puzzling.

Sorry for the length of the question, but maybe you know of a tutorial explaining this.

Thanks

 

[Drakkith]

Ugh, I looked up as much as I could, but I don't know enough to help you out much LBT.

All I can help you with is this:

Now, the second part of my question is about a telescope like the LBT where the mirrors don't seem to be arranged in a parabolic configuration, and that's even more puzzling.

The mirrors don't need to be arranged in a parabolic fashion as long as each is the same distance from the detector. If you take a parabolic mirror you will find that a line has to travel equally as far to get to the focus point no matter where on the mirror it hits. See here for more on that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabola#Derivation_of_the_focus

If you cut the mirror up into 100 pieces, you can take those pieces and put them into their own telescopes, and as long as each one is equally distant from its new focus as all the others, then you can use them as if they were one big mirror still.