virtual telescope definition of virtual telescope in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

virtual telescope, a computerized interferometer (see interference interferometer. When the wavelength of the light is known, the interferometer indicates the thickness of the film by the interference patterns it forms. The reverse process, i.e., the measurement of the length of an unknown light wave, can also be carried out by the interferometer.
..... Click the link for more information. ) that merges the images from two or more telescopes telescope, traditionally, a system of lenses, mirrors, or both, used to gather light from a distant object and form an image of it. Traditional optical telescopes, which are the subject of this article, also are used to magnify objects on earth and in astronomy;
..... Click the link for more information. to obtain a single, large, enhanced image. The image in each telescope is made from electromagnetic waves (light waves from an optical telescope, radio waves from a radio telescope), each wave having peaks and valleys. Combining several waves into one makes the peaks higher and the valleys lower, resulting in a single, enhanced wave. This tends to make stars appear to be brighter and to increase the distances at which celestial objects can be studied. The peaks and valleys can also be made to cancel each other out (in a process called nulling interferometry) to permit the selective diminishment of the brightness of the light from a star so that, for example, a dimmer star or planet can be studied.