Exactly. With a sufficiently powerful telescope, I can read an SSN printed on paper through the window bounced off the reflection from your watch from a mile away. But we wouldn't call that publishing.
I don't think that's true. I think there are phenomena like scattering and the diffraction limit that come into play that keep you from doing that.
Unless you're watching one of those stupid TV shows where they make this look easy. Just call up something on the screen and say "enhance". Then zoom in again and "enhance". Until you get the result you want. The problem is those scenes are written by liberal arts TV writers who didn't even pay attention to science in grade school.
It's not real world physics as I understand it. But, as Dennis Miller used to say, "I could be wrong". I'd welcome a pointer to some scientific explanation of how it is possible.
