Can you network telescopes together to make one big telescope?
Yes, but it has to be done very carefully so that you do not end up combining the electromagnetic waves out of phase.
Telescope 'interferometers' such as the Very Large Array in New Mexico, or transcontinental Very Long Base Line Interferometers do this at radio frequencies. At optical wavelengths, the Keck I and II telescopes will be used in interferometer mode. There is also an optical interferometer operating at Mt. Wilson and run by scientists at the US Naval Observatory.
The resolution of any interferometer is found by multiplying 206265 by the wavelength in centimeters, and dividing by the distance between the farthest elements in centimeters. The answer is in units of seconds of arc.
Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald
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