How sharp is the vision of the VLTI?
When two or more telescopes are combined in interferometric mode, the spatial resolution is determined by the maximum distance between them. The VLTI, operating with two 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes, reaches a spatial resolution equivalent to a single 130-metre giant telescope, which is about 2 milliarcseconds. This is equivalent to distinguishing two points separated by the size of a sesame seed on the International Space Station as seen from the ground.
