- Resolving power of an optical instrument is the ability to separate the images of two objects which are closed together.
- E.g. Some binary stars look like a single star when viewed with naked eyes. When the same is viewed through a good telescope, they appear as two distinct stars which are closed together.
- Resolving power (RP) of an optical instrument is the reciprocal of minimum separation of two points seen as distinct image seen through the optical instrument.
- RP is directly proportional to refractive index of the medium
- RP is inversely proportional to wavelength.
