How does antenna size and distance impact image sharpness?

Scientists can 'build' a virtual telescope by combining individual telescopes, using a technique called interferometry. The larger the dishes, the smaller the patch of sky that is observed, and the higher the level of detail. The level of detail we can recognise is called angular resolution.

Not only the size of the antennas impacts the level of detail of the images, the distance between the telescopes also has an impact. With telescopes that can be spaced hundreds or even thousands of kilometres apart, scientists can make extremely detailed images. 

This animation was originally produced for an ESO Chasing Starlight episode on the sharpest ground-based observations yet.