24.7 Resolution and the Rayleigh Criterion Raleigh Criterion: Effect of the Size of the Aperture Explanation: The video shows  light coming from two distant stars, passing through a circular aperture, and producing an image on a screen. As discussed in Section 24.7, note that the resolution increases as the aperture diameter D increases.   Source: Samantha Shoemake and John T. Foley The Optics Project (TOP) Department of Physics and Astronomy Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762.