Explain why the Crab Nebula cannot involve a rapidly rotating ...

[ishan]

Explain why the Crab Nebula cannot involve a rapidly rotating white dwarf star.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

The diffraction-limited resolution of a 10-meter telescope is about 0.01 arcsecond for visible light.
 
  Would you expect the actual angular resolution of a Keck 10-meter telescope in Hawaii to be better than, equal to, or worse than 0.01 arcsecond? Explain.

[huda]

Answer to Question 1

The pulsar in the Crab Nebula rotates 30 times a second. A white dwarf rotating this quickly will literally fly apart, its gravity unable to withstand the enormous effects of rotation.

Answer to Question 2

It would be worse than 0.01 arcsecond because of the distortion caused by atmospheric turbulence.