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Frank,

> Imaging resolution in any
> optrical system is ultimately limited by diffraction

Yes.
I think some misunderstanding comes
from your implicit assumption that the
eye
is an "optical system":-).

Several participants of this discussion mentioned a
conjecture that the eye resolution higher than optical
limit might be due to the eye micro MOTION.

If you take this motion into account, the eye cannot
be considered
a purely optical system anymore.

Of course this is only a conjecture, but this is what I had
in mind when I said that this unusually high resolution
does not contradict yet the laws of physics.


Put in other words, I can easily imagine a mechanism
which achieves high resolution using an optical system
of low resolution.

Let me also define what I mean by resolution:
It is the ability to decide whether the images of two
points coincide. You don't necessarily have to SEE them as
separate points when they dont coincide for this.

For example, in the shooter's case, this is the ability
to decide whether the bullet trajectory will pass through
the center of the target, though she does not necessarily
see the center of the target, even less the bullet trajectory.

In the case of measuring star distances with a sextant,
I can see two stars as one dot, but still understand that
this dot is somehow "imperfect".
This really happens when the distance
is about 0.5' (with my scope).
But still I somehow can measure
to 0.1' in many cases.
Alex.

   

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